Breaking News: Lions Release Linebacker DeAndre Levy
In an absolutely shocking development just one hour before the official opening of free agency, Lions linebacker Deandre Levy has been designated a post-June 1st cut. Levy signed a well deserved big-time contract before the 2015 season but has never lived up to his money. Major injury issues over the last several years have derailed a once Pro Bowl level career, seeing him only playing in six games in the last two seasons. Despite this however Levy was still thought to be relatively safe on the Lions’ roster, as his release only generates roughly $1.1 million in cap space and he began to show some of his old form this season. Designating him a June 1st cut however cuts his dead cap space to a fraction, allowing the Lions to carry a significantly smaller dollar hit over the next two years, opening up about $5.8 million this upcoming year. This could be beneficial over the next few days in getting another bigger name free agent but one has to wonder about the value you lose in Levy when regarding a linebacker group in Detroit that is already desperate for talent – and a defense without a true leader losing one of it’s most prominent figures. We will update you the best we can with the circumstances surrounding Levy’s release as information comes in.
What this means for the Lions though is that a once gaping hole at linebacker has become immense, with only Tahir Whitehead, Antwione Williams, and Thurston Armbrister signed through next season along with recently signed depth player Paul Worrilow. Expect the Lions to try and be active in free agency at the upper end of the market with players like Zach Brown and Gerald Hodges on their radar. This move also almost guarantees a linebacker in one of the first two rounds of the draft with Haason Reddick leading the field and Zach Cunningham, Jarrad Davis, and Anthony Walker Jr. as secondary considerations.
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