The Brutal Math of Roster Building is About to Hit
OTAs are here and that means the fun part of the offseason is officially over. Dan Campbell will address the media Friday, and after that we can probably expect some cuts either before mandatory minicamp or right after it. The numbers game always wins in the end, and some guys who have been grinding in Allen Park are about to find out the hard way.
Here are four Lions who could realistically get the axe in the coming days, including a former second-round pick who might be running out of chances.
OT Colby Sorsdal
The Lions have seven tackles on the roster right now: Penei Sewell, Blake Miller, Larry Borrom, Colby Sorsdal, Melvin Preistley, Giovanni Manu, and Devin Cochran. That’s too many. Period.
At this point, it’s more about the guys you know versus the guys you don’t. The Lions know what they can get out of Sorsdal. They’re probably more intrigued to see what they can get out of the rest of the group than carry seven tackles into camp.
DT Levi Onwuzurike
This one hurts to write because we’re fully ready to be wrong about it. Ideally, the former second-round pick can get right back to that player he was and Detroit keeps him around.
Until that happens, though, you have to be on guard. This is likely a big week for him to show he’s still athletically in a good spot. The Lions have invested too much in this position to carry dead weight, even if that dead weight was once a second-round pick.
WR/QB Malik Cunningham
Same story as Sorsdal. There are ten receivers on this roster right now, and you can find a reason for every single one of them to be here. That’s the problem.
If you wanted to switch Cunningham back to his original quarterback spot, he’d have to contend with Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmeyer for a backup role. That’s a lot of competition for very few spots.
S Loren Strickland
This one stings because Strickland has always been easy to root for. But it’s hard to find a spot for him when the Lions have 18 defensive backs on the roster.
With Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Chuck Clark, Dan Jackson, Thomas Harper, and Christian Izien ahead of him, where exactly does Strickland fit? We just haven’t seen enough of him on defense to say he can win over any of those guys.
The Lions have done an excellent job building depth across the roster, but that depth comes with consequences. Some good players are going to get cut simply because there isn’t room. That’s the price of having actual talent for once.
Which of these cuts would hurt the most, or are we completely off base about one of them? Let us know in the comments below.
