4. FB Jason Cabinda
Cabinda is an important veteran leader for the Lions, and that should not be discounted. He also does great work in the Detroit community, as a leader for his teammates in that area away from the field too. But an injury limited him to eight games last year, and the dissolving of the fullback position in the NFL leaves him being largely a special teamer.
The ceremony of keeping players who only offer intangibles has to fade for the Lions as they look to be and remain a competitive team. It's a production/having a role that allows production business, and however coldly Cabinda has neither of those things.
Cabinda is a virtual lock to be entering his final season as a Lion.
3. WR Josh Reynolds
With a past connection to Jared Goff with the Rams making it an easy fit, the Lions took a waiver flier on Reynolds in 2021 and he averaged 16.1 yards catch over eight games with them that season. The Lions brought him back with a two-year deal in 2022, and he posted 38 catches for 579 yards and three touchdowns over 15 games last season.
Reynolds has all kinds of competition for targets around him. Marvin Jones was brought back to fil the spot vacated by DJ Chark. Jameson Williams, once he completes his six-game suspension, will be given every chance to step into a big role. Rookie seventh-round pick Antoine Green is an interesting player, who may push for a large role while Williams is suspended.
It's hard to see a path to consistent, let alone notable, production for Reynolds this season. There's not much gained by cutting him, so he'd have to be beyond Breshad Perriman circa 2021 awful during training camp and the preseason to not make the 53-man roster. But these will mostly surely be his final months in a Lions' uniform.