These Players Could Be June 1 Cut Candidates to Help Lions' Salary Cap

June 1 is a big day for teams across the NFL landscape.

While it may be a regular day in some cases, there are roster ramifications that come with this day that could be impactful for teams from a financial perspective.

In his latest column, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer outlined the impact that June 1 has on financials for front offices, as cuts made before that day force teams to take on the entirety of a contract from a cap perspective. If they wait until after June 1, they take on only the current year cap charge while spreading the rest to the following year.

As a result, the Detroit Lions could look to make moves that help their cap following this June 1 deadline. At that point, the Lions would have one session of OTAs wrapped up and be heading into their second from June 2-4.

Here are three possible cap casualties that the Lions could have to make decisions on as the June 1 deadline approaches.

TE Brock Wright

The Lions have plenty of use for Wright, and he has proven to be a very valuable option for their offense. Originally an undrafted free agent in the 2021 draft class, Wright has carved out a niche as the second option behind Sam LaPorta and is utilized both as a run-blocker and a pass-catcher in spurts.

Therefore, there may not be a ton of momentum when it comes to the team possibly parting ways with him. However, he's entering the final year of his contract and there would be cap benefits to moving on from him.

Wright's cap hit is slated to be $4.734 million in 2026. If the team were to make him a post-June 1 cut, his dead cap hit would be $1.154 million each of the next three years while it would create $3.58 million in cap savings.

What could complicate matters are the three void years tacked onto his contract, meaning his dead cap hit would indeed extend beyond the end of his contract.

Detroit signed Tyler Conklin, a proven veteran, in free agency and has three intriguing young options on their 90-man roster currently. While they would lose a valuable player in this scenario, there is some depth for them to evaluate if they feel the need to make a move like this.

OT Giovanni Manu

Manu is at a career crossroads heading into his third season. He was drafted with the intention of development, as the front office knew he would be a project coming out of the University of British Columbia, and that development has been slow.

While his athletic traits are certainly intriguing, he hasn't progressed ideally throughout his first two seasons. He's made just one start in two years, and missed the final 13 games of the season after suffering a knee injury.

If the Lions were to cut him after June 1, Manu's dead cap hit would decrease to under $1 million while creating $1.075 million for this season and $1.190 million next year.

Detroit has stocked up on the offensive line, and as a result spots may be limited. If Manu can't carve out a niche role for himself, the Lions could certainly elect to move on with its newly added veteran depth.

CB Khalil Dorsey

Like the offensive line, the Lions have stocked up in the secondary on depth. They signed cornerback Roger McCreary, and drafted Arizona State's Keith Abney. With Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin all also returning, Dorsey could be at risk of losing a roster spot.

Dorsey has provided immense value with his ability on special teams coverage units, routinely drawing praise from Dan Campbell when healthy. This was on display last season, as he played over 50 percent of the team's snaps despite missing six games while recovering from a late-season leg injury the year prior.

The veteran is in the final year of a two-year extension signed prior to last year. If the team were to move on, the dead cap hit would be just $150,000 while the cap savings would be $1,543,823.

Ultimately, Dorsey is facing a big training camp as the Lions have plenty of options both at cornerback and safety who could fill special teams roles. He has immense value when at his best, but if he starts slow perhaps the Lions elect to trust their depth and move on.

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