5 potential cap casualties the Detroit Lions should be in on if available

4. Miami Dolphins CB Byron Jones

Jones is already in the books as one of the biggest free agency busts in recent years. He signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Dolphins in 2020.

After not playing very well in his first two seasons in Miami (100-plus passer rating allowed in both campaigns, two and zero interceptions respectively), he missed this entire season due to an ankle injury he never fully recovered from. Miami’s vision of he and Xavien Howard as one of the top cornerback duos in the league has just not come to be.

This looks like one of the easiest cap casualties in the entire league. The Dolphins are probably more than willing to move on, and admit a mistake. Along with finding a way to get healthy after a lost season, Jones may want and need a change of scenery. Wherever he goes, there will be no pressure to live up to a big contract.

A pre-June 1 cut designation for Jones won’t do much to help the Dolphins, who are currently about $16 million over the cap–$3.547 million cap space cleared, $14.804 million in dead money. But a post-June 1 cut almost completely flip those numbers, to $13.6 million in cap savings, $4.751 million in dead money.

Jones will not break the bank with his next team, and the Lions need to add talent to their cornerback room. There is a potential fit here for Detroit.