My last new topic of the day
What to do? I would not be surprised if he is cut TY to make room for Houston.
1.Top Potential Cap Casualties*
2.1. S Tracy Walker III - $12.8 Million*
The Detroit Lions are facing a solid cap situation and have exactly one clear-cut candidate who would alter the picture dramatically.
Safety Tracy Walker III has been a defensive mainstay since 2018. The Lions rewarded him with a three-year, $25 million extension in 2022, but saw him take a diminished role this past season.
Walker appeared in 17 games but made only six starts. He also struggled in coverage, allowing an opposing passer rating of 117.9. While the soon-to-be 29-year-old is a respected leader in Detroit’s locker room, he’s the logical option if the Lions are looking to clear salary.
Releasing Walker with a post-June 1 designation would save $8 million in cap space.
I suspect it will be similar to what they did with a few veterans last season, Big V and Romeo I think. Offer him a reduced contract to stay on the roster, then cut Harris.
This will also make @Mr.Peabody 's gameday experience much more enjoyable.
While Tracy might be a cap casualty next year, but he hasn’t been horrible when on the field on either defense or special teams, so there are better cut options if Da Problem is placed on the 53. Besides, that seems tone deaf to cut a Lions lifer like him at this high point and Holmbell are anything but tone deaf.
Who will the Lions cut? Tracy Walker saves us 5M next year if we cut now, or 8M after June 1st….
But…. I doubt they outright cut a former captain who battled back from Achilles. Has he struggled? Sure, but we were 7-3 with him starting?
I hope I’m wrong, but I see nearly as good a chance of us releasing Houston today as us activating, and playing him any meaningful snaps.
We either put him back on IR, but with him pleading he’s 100%, that’s not a good luck and could open an investigation. If we activate him and don’t play him much, then we are cutting somebody for nothing. If we release him, fans will go nuts.
we sent hin to PS, exposed him to waivers, saw his stats in limited action last year, then criticized him all camp and played him in ST-
Again I could be wrong, this could be a brilliant smokescreen and we announce him today, and unleash him Sunday. I just haven’t gotten any vibes that this staff really values him like we do.
Offer walker a deal where instead of him making 12 mil but if we released him it would save 5.5 mil where he agrees to a deal making 6 mil this year with a void year next year of 2.5
He gets 8.5 mil with just a little bit of it deferred and he can stay with the team and rehab his value while we get some cap savings this year and get a backup safety for the year
Why cut Walker? Who are we getting that is better for 8 mil? He has familiarity with the staff and scheme. He has connections in the locker room. He is a positive for this team.
And I don’t think we save 8 mil. Pretty sure it is near 10 mil in dead money and 5.5 in savings.
Jacobs and Mitchell were put on IR without any corresponding additions, so there’s already room on the 53 for Houston.
Lucas and Firkser were elevated from the practice squad for those spots, so they can go back.
If the regime felt Houston was ready and able to register 15-20 snaps, pressure or 2, and maybe a sack…. Then any one of 4-5 guys could be cut, deactivated, sent to ps or whatever.
It’s surely not Lucas, C Harris, Walker, Awosika etc preventing him from rotating with Hutch and Paschal.
Since Houston has been pretty adamant about his readiness to play, I think this feels more like a coaching decision.
