5 Detroit Lions who should be entering their final season with the team in 2022

5. DL Michael Brockers

In his first offseason as general manager, Holmes’ most notable move was trading Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and draft picks. But he stayed with his Rams roots to make a deal for Brockers, with the idea he’d be a productive veteran leader for a defense line that needed one.

Brockers played 16 games last season, with 52 total tackles. But he had just one sack (with five pressures and one quarterback hit) and four tackles for loss. His snap shares were reduced as the season went on, and his pass rush production was virtually non-existent after early in the season (as was his level of disruption to offensive backfields).

For some reason, likely in the interest of cap space in a cap-suppressed 2021, Brockers was given a new three-year, $24 million contract upon being acquired. That probably makes him safe for this year, unless he’s traded over the rest of the offseason or before the deadline during the season. But 2023 is a different story.

According to Over The Cap, the Lions can cut or trade Brockers before June 1, 2023 and clear out $10 million of his $11.975 million cap hit for 2023. He’ll be 32 at that point, likely coming off a season where he did little more than block younger players from getting more playing time.

Brockers might really like playing for Campbell, but he won’t be doing so after next season–assuming he’s not traded at some point before then.