Potential Salary-Cap Casualty Targets for Lions

Read more on the 10 potential salary-cap casualties the Detroit Lions should target this offseason.

With free agency fast approaching, teams around the NFL are looking to acquire assets that could benefit their rosters moving into the 2022 season.

Teams must remain under the determined salary cap while making these additions. Every team will have so-called "salary-cap casualties," or players they will be forced to let go in order to remain under the cap.

The Athletic’s NFL staff recently compiled a list of each team’s potential cap casualties. Using names from the list, here are 10 potential players who could benefit the Detroit Lions, should they be let go from their current teams.

WR Jarvis Landry (Cleveland Browns)

Landry is coming off a 12-game 2021 season that was plagued by an injury which he revealed to be more serious than initially expected. At age 29, he’s still talented and dangerous to opposing defenses. If he’s interested, the Lions would be wise to make a run at the veteran receiver.

WR Amari Cooper (Dallas Cowboys)

In a similar vein to Landry, Cooper is a talented wideout that would immediately boost a Lions receiving corps that is light on experience. His numbers were better than Landry’s last year, which may mean he will be more expensive than his counterpart.

With CeeDee Lamb on the rise within the Cowboys organization, Cooper may not be the top option for the team in 2022. This status may make him expendable, and there’s no debating what his status would be with Detroit. Because of this, the Lions may be an attractive destination for him, should he be cut loose.

LB Za’Darius Smith (Green Bay Packers)

A back injury limited Smith to just two appearances in 2021. When healthy, he's been one of the top linebackers in the game. However, the Packers are currently around $50 million over the designated cap, and will have to pick and choose between which stars they want back.

Detroit is very young at the linebacker position, and would certainly embrace Smith’s presence in the locker room. Veteran free-agent acquisition Alex Anzalone didn’t cut it in 2021, and may not return next season. With Smith, Dan Campbell would get a run-stopping presence that can also wreak havoc coming off the edge.

CB Bradley Roby (New Orleans Saints)

The Lions were forced to yo-yo different options in the secondary, as a result of various injuries throughout the position group. Enter Roby, an eight-year veteran who could enter the organization and boost the competition at the position instantly.

Roby’s veteran presence could also help off the field, with young players such as Jeff Okudah still finding their footing in the league. Bringing Roby in would create more competition, while also raising the bar for talent at the position.

DT Mike Purcell (Denver Broncos)

With the Lions having plenty of youth in the defensive trenches, the organization could benefit from adding some experience to the room. Rookies Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill were forced to play copious snaps in 2021, and showed a need for improvement.

Purcell could bring a veteran presence inside. He’s logged six seasons, and has played in 57 games. A conventional run-stopper, the Wyoming alum can still bring it at age 30.

S/LB Landon Collins (Washington Commanders)

Collins’ positional versatility may be exactly what Detroit needs heading into 2022. A safety who can play in the secondary or in the box, the Alabama product would fill needs at both positions.

Detroit has to make a decision on Tracy Walker III, with his impending free agency. Should the organization let him walk, Collins would be an important addition. 

Having a player who can do so much on the defensive side would be a welcome addition to a team looking to build an identity on that side of the ball.

TE Austin Hooper (Cleveland Browns)

Another potential Browns cap casualty, Hooper could create an impressive one-two punch with the already emerging T.J. Hockenson. 

Hooper has caught seven touchdowns over the last two seasons of his career with Cleveland.

Formerly with the Atlanta Falcons, Hooper has enjoyed a fair amount of success in his six seasons as a pro. The Lions could use another presence at tight end, having leaned on undrafted rookie Brock Wright down the stretch of the 2021 campaign as the team’s second option at the position.

ILB Joe Schobert (Pittsburgh Steelers)

As with Smith and Collins, Schobert would fill the Lions' need at linebacker. Where Smith is a pass rusher and Collins is a hybrid, Schobert is a run-stuffer. He plays on the inside, and is another veteran presence who could mentor the likes of 2021 fourth-rounder Derrick Barnes.

CB A.J. Bouye (Carolina Panthers)

Having started 76 games in his career, Bouye would bring that coveted experience to the Lions’ secondary. 

He enjoyed a Pro Bowl season in 2017 while with the Jacksonville Jaguars, during which he started all 16 games and picked off six passes.

Should he be let go by the Panthers this offseason, the Lions could consider taking a flier on the veteran and seeing what he can bring to the table.

DT Eddie Goldman (Chicago Bears)

Much like Purcell, Goldman is a pure run-stuffer, who would bring an excellent veteran presence to a young position group. 

The six-year veteran has already started 73 games, and is still going strong heading into his age-28 season.

Goldman is familiar with the NFC North, having spent his entire career with the Bears. The Lions need a veteran run-stopping presence, and Goldman fits that bill well.