The Detroit Lions are reportedly releasing defensive tackle Damon Harrison and while the move will create a significant hole on the current roster, it will also create quite a bit of space in the 2020 salary cap.
After a sensational 2018 season with the Lions, Harrison regressed in 2019 and it appears the Lions felt he would not be able to return to his previous level of play and therefore no longer justified his current salary — after receiving a deserved contract extension just last August.
Harrison’s 2020 contract had him scheduled to receive over $11.7 million this season. After making this move (eventually), the Lions will incur a penalty to the tune of a $5 million salary cap hit, while also freeing up an additional $6.75 million in new salary cap space.
Before the move, the Lions were slated to have almost $47 million in available salary cap space — based on the estimated increase to the salary cap in 2020 — the 16th most in the NFL.
After this move, the Lions salary cap space will increase to just over $53.8 million, bumping them up to the 11th most available salary cap room in the NFL.
This is a critical offseason for the Lions front office and coaching staff, expectations are high and only results matter. The results weren’t there for Harrison in 2019 and the Lions have decided to invest in other options.
This is a deep free agency pool at defensive tackle and the draft class is equally flush with options. Finding which player to invest in for this very important role will likely be one of, if not the, highest priority of the offseason.
