4 Lions who could realistically be cut after OTAs this week- including recent second-round pick

OTAs are here… and that means tough roster decisions are coming soon for the Detroit Lions. Here are 4 players who could realistically be cut in the coming days—including a recent second-round pick

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91) runs onto the field against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91) runs onto the field against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are back to work this week when OTAs start up. We’ll get a chance to hear from Lions head coach Dan Campbell on Friday to learn how things are going. After that, we can probably expect the Lions to make some cuts either ahead of mandatory minicamp or after. Let’s talk about who some of those guys might be.

OT Colby Sorsdal

The Lions have a lot of things going on at tackle right now. Penei Sewell, Blake Miller, Larry Borrom, Colby Sorsdal, Melvin Preistley, Giovanni Manu, and Devin Cochran. At this point, it’s more about the guys you know than the guys you don’t. The Lions know at this point what they can get out of Sorsdal. They’re probably going to be more intrigued to see what they can get out of the rest of the guys than keep seven tackles on the roster going into camp.

DT Levi Onwuzurike

We’re fully ready to be wrong about this one. Ideally, the Lions’ former second-round pick can get right back to that player he was in 2024, and Detroit keeps him. Until that happens, you have to be on guard with this one. This is likely to be a big week for him to show he’s athletically still in a good spot.

WR/QB Malik Cunningham

A similar story for Cunningham to Sorsdal. There are just so many receivers on this team right now. There are 10 receivers on this team, and you can find a reason for every single one of them to be here right now. If you wanted to switch Cunningham to his original spot as a quarterback, he’d have to contend with Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmeyer. That’s a lot.

S Loren Strickland

I’ve always been a big Loren Strickland guy, but it’s hard to find a spot for him. The Lions have 18 defensive backs on their team right now. With Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Chuck Clark, Dan Jackson, Thomas Harper, and Christian Izien, where does Strickland fit in? On top of that, we just haven’t seen enough of him on defense to say he can win over any of these guys.

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