For all intents and purposes, the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster will come from players who are currently on the offseason roster. There will be some maneuvering on the lower end of the roster between now and Week 1, but a notable move of any kind has to be considered unlikely.
That said, general manager Brad Holmes should (and does) always have his eyes open for opportunities to bolster this year's roster. Injuries can change the equation quickly, even in OTAs or minicamp, and an ongoing assessment of things could open the door to a move that lands interestingly.
No free agent who is signed at this point will be overly costly. With about $18.5 million in cap space right now, the Lions can make a fairly notable addition if they need to and maintain their financial flexibility heading toward and into the season.
But there's also no such thing as too much available money. Via a numbers game, performance, health questions or simply being in danger of being replaced, cuts can be made to better open the door for a late addition or two.
So, these four Lions players could be cut to foster summer free agent signings.
4 Detroit Lions who could be cut to create room for summer free agent signings
4. CB Khalil Dorsey
If you forgot Dorsey was still on the Lions' roster, you are forgiven. His value on special teams is undeniable, and praised by Dan Campbell, but he played just 20 defensive snaps over 11 games last season. The additions of Roger McCreary in free agency and Keith Abney in the draft puts him firmly on the roster bubble, and probably on the wrong side of it, well before training camp.
Cutting Dorsey will be inconsequential to the Lions' balance sheet, clearly $1.54 million with a $150,000 dead money hit. But he could find a better opportunity to make a roster elsewhere, and the team could do him a favor by not hanging onto him any longer than they reasonably should.
3. OT Giovanni Manu
If only anyone could have seen the folly in trading up to draft a project offensive tackle out of a Canadian college in the third round of the 2024 draft.
A redshirt rookie season for Manu was followed by a second season that was derailed by a knee injury. He made one start last season before being sidelined, but that game accounts for 62 of the 69 offensive snaps he has played in two years.
The plan going forward for Manu now seems to be, at best, unclear. A team in its window to win a Super Bowl was never really in position to wait for him to develop into a starter, while dedicating a spot on the 53-man roster to that process, and there have been no signs he's on that trajectory entering his third season.
Manu is another cut who wouldn't do much to clear cap space for the Lions. It'd be more about opening a roster spot for someone who can actually contribute in 2026 (or beyond).
READ MORE: It took 1 Lions practice for the Jimmy Rolder hype to completely explode
2. TE Brock Wright
The Lions proved how much they valued Wright when they matched the offer sheet the San Francisco 49ers gave him a couple years go. But he has never brought much to the table as a pass catcher, and his resume as a blocker (hypothetically how he should be making a difference then) is dismal.
Tyler Conklin was signed as a free agent to be the Lions' No. 2 tight end behind Sam LaPorta. Undrafted rookie tight end Miles Kitselman may have an opportunity to steal a roster spot, rooted in his blocking ability as a differentiator.
Wright feels ripe to be a post-June 1 cut, when $3.58 million of his $4.734 million cap hit would become cap savings for this year. Three void years in his contract after this year, with related dead money, could be a thing. But counting this year, that dead money amount totals a reasonable $3.9 million.
If someone would trade for Wright, the Lions could recoup some kind of an asset by parting ways with him. But it's more likely he is just cut, and if it happens, it could happen soon.
1. DT Levi Onwuzurike
Onwuzurike has completely missed two of his five seasons since the Lions took him in the second round of the 2021 draft. It's worth wondering why the move to cut him has not been done already this offseason, as if he's somehow been held in higher esteem than a player in a similar situation (Josh Paschal) who was cut when the league year started.
Per Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, Campbell said a very little bit about Onwuzurike during his press conference on Day 3 of OTAs.
“I like where Levi’s at, and I’ll leave it at that. He’s working, he feels good. I’m not hyping anybody up, not in May. It’s not worth it.”
Again, the financial implications for the Lions are not big here. The one-year deal Onwuzurike signed in 2025 tolled to this year after he missed all of last season, and his entire $1.215 million cap hit can be cleared from the books by cutting him.
Moving on from Onwuzurike would mostly be about opening things up to add someone who has a better chance to stay healthy and contribute on the defensive line. Every freed up dollar on that front could end up counting.
Add us as a preferred source on Google