Lions could cut ties with offseason signing pick after 'up and down' showing

It's crunch time in the NFL, and the preseason is officially underway. The Detroit Lions appeared in their first preseason game of the season on Thursday, taking on the Bengals in what turned out to be a 16-14 Lions loss.

But, it's just the preseason. There's no reason to panic. Right now, the bigger focus is making sure this roster is ready for September, and that means still adding and deleting some players.

In a feature out for Bleacher Report, Moe Moton names one cut candidate for each NFL team, after seeing some things at training camp. "Most of the top positions on the depth chart are set, though players on the roster bubble can make strong cases to earn a spot," he writes.

NFL analyst wants to see the Detroit Lions lose one player

He thinks the Lions can do without cornerback Roger McCreary.

Detroit signed the player, a former second-round pick by the Tennessee Titans, to a one-year, $1.4 million deal this offseason, so the team is able to lose him without much of a dead-cap effect. His lifetime earnings in the NFL, according to research from Over the Cap, are around $10 million.

"McCreary's fall from a starting boundary cornerback and nickelback may continue as he battles for a spot on the Detroit Lions roster," Moton writes, noting that reports out of camp say that McCreary isn't doing too well.

Moton cited Pride of Detroit beat writer Jeremy Reisman's report that head coach Dan Campbell said McCreary has had an "up and down" training camp thus far. That doesn't sound too promising.

"Although he has a clear pathway to the Lions' lead slot cornerback position, his mediocre performances at practice could cost him a roster spot," Moton says.

This is one player whose performance at training camp and in the preseason is going to mean a lot.