3 Lions cut candidates entering 2026 offseason

A combination of age, roster construction, and cap savings make veteran Graham Glasgow Detroit’s most obvious potential cap casualty.

The 34-year-old veteran finally started to show some signs of aging in 2025. Glasgow started at center for Detroit after Frank Ragnow’s surprise retirement in the summer of 2025. But it was clear that his best years are behind him.

In fairness, there were a few things working against Glasgow. He played next to two young guard in Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany and the chemistry simply wasn’t there early in the 2025 season. Detroit was also adapting to life after Ben Johnson with new offensive coordinator John Morton, who has since been fired.

The offensive line is the identity of the Lions. I simply cannot see the team remaining complacent with subpar o-line play this offseason.

It’s nothing personal, but Glasgow’s time in Detroit could be over soon.

The Lions would save $5.56 million in cap space by cutting Glasgow.  It would come with $2.875 in dead money, but the Lions would still net just under $3 million in cap space. This is by far the largest amount of cap space the Lions can gain by cutting a veteran player. The only real exception being Taylor Decker, but parting ways with him would be foolish.

If Detroit does cut Glasgow, look for them to add a veteran center during free agency. They may also take a shot on a rookie during the 2026 NFL Draft.

Could the Lions part ways with special teams ace Khalil Dorsey?

Another potential cap casualty could be Khalil Dorsey.

Dorsey is a core special teamer for the Lions who also serves as a backup cornerback. He has served Detroit well over the past three seasons, but I wonder if he is still safe this offseason.

One reason why I put Dorsey on the list is because Detroit doesn’t have many option for players they can easily part with and save money. The Lions would only save $1.54 million in cap space by cutting Dorsey with just $150,000 in dead money.

That is not a huge amount of cap space, which makes it such a difficult decision.

Personally, the only way I can see this move happening is if Detroit’s front office is confident in their ability to replace Dorsey’s special teams productions with a rookie.

I don’t feel great about this prediction, but it could happen.

Will the Lions finally part ways with Josh Paschal?

Finally, there’s defensive end Josh Paschal.

The 2022 second-round pick finds himself in a fascinating contractual situation. Paschal did not play during the 2025 season because of a lingering back injury that required offseason surgery. He spent the season on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.

Jeremy Reisman at Pride of Detroit explained that Paschal remains under contract in 2026 despite his rookie contract seemingly ending after four seasons.

An obscure rule relating to Paschal’s NFI status will keep him on Detroit’s roster in 2026 on a $1.76 million salary.

Of course, Detroit is still free to cut Paschal if they are worried about his back injury. Or if they simply want to create some additional cap space.

The Lions can save the entirety of that $1.76 million with no dead money if they cut Paschal.

That feels like an easy decision as Detroit balances their books and retools the defensive line this offseason.