Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions are releasing nose tackle Damon Harrison.
After an injury-prone 2019 season that saw his play take a drastic decline, and culminating in an emotional post-game interview where Harrison admitted he was contemplating retirement, the Lions are making a proactive decision to move on.
Harrison was acquired by the Lions in a trade with the New York Giants halfway through the 2018 season and he immediately paid dividends on the Lions defensive line.
Expected to be the anchor on the defensive line, Harrison plays one of the most critical roles in the Lions 2-gapping/multiple scheme. When he struggled last season, the players around him struggled as well.
With Harrison now gone, the Lions are left with third-year undrafted John Atkins as the most experienced nose tackle on the active roster, with undrafted Olive Sagapolu as the only reserve after signing a futures deal in January.
The Lions will incur a $5 million cap hit by releasing Harrison, but they will also free up an additional $6.75 million in cap space to find his replacement.
Replacing Harrison this offseason will be one of the important decisions general manager Bob Quinn will make and he will have options to choose from. Nose tackle — and potential 2020 free agent — D.J. Reader has experience in an identical role with the Texans and would be a tremendous option in free agency. There will also be an increased uptick in mock drafts that pair the Lions with Auburn’s Derrick Brown, one of the top defensive linemen in the draft.
At this time, it is not clear if Harrison wishes to continue his NFL career or retire from professional football.
