One of the more popular notions from Lions fans on social media and sports talk radio is to cut starting right tackle Rick Wagner. It’s not something GM Bob Quinn and the Lions should seriously entertain.
Contractually, dumping Wagner does little positive. The team would gain $6.1 million in cap room for his salary, but cutting him forces Detroit to eat $5.8 million in accelerated bonuses Wagner is guaranteed. The $6.1 million in new space doesn’t begin to afford a suitable replacement for Wagner.
Then there’s the matter of replacing a veteran starter at right tackle.
Wagner is coming off his worst season, a subpar year marred with a knee injury and a revolving door on his inside shoulder at right guard. He finished ranked 47th out of 60 offensive tackles who played at least half the offensive snaps in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus grading. It was a rough year, no question.
But the prior years, when he was healthy and had a relatively stable presence at guard, Wagner was solid. He was 29th out of 62 tackles in 2018 and 14th out of 57 (and No. 3 in right tackles) in 2017 in PFF rankings.
With a new primary starter coming at right guard — Graham Glasgow is a free agent — creating more instability on the line is a recipe for disaster. Wagner is a great candidate for a rebound season, and his contract is lower than what a replacement of equal caliber via free agency (Jack Conklin, Anthony Castonzo) figures to cost.
If the plan is to install Tyrell Crosby as the replacement right tackle, that’s a little easier to swallow. Crosby was better in the run game than Wagner, though his struggles with penalties and handling edge speed in the pass game were a definite downgrade from the more proven veteran. Finding a new No. 3, or “swing” tackle to replace a promoted Crosby is a lot easier than finding a ready-made starter, too.
Even so, spending resources to fill a hole that doesn’t currently exist takes away from the Lions’ ability to plug the more pressing, urgent holes that are keeping the team from succeeding. Teams don’t get better by artificially creating more problems for themselves.
