Lions salary cap update

With training camp less than a month away, the Detroit Lions' roster for the summer has pretty much been settled. There could still be minor changes here or there as the summer progresses, especially considering the Lions only have 89 players under contract right now, and there are still lots of spots on the 53-man roster up for grabs.

Going into training camp, however, it's unlikely that any truly significant moves will be made. Part of that mindset stems from the simple fact that there aren't a ton of notable free agents out there at this point, and part of that stems from the fact that the Lions only currently have $2,697,943 in salary cap space, according to the NFLPA.

Since we're in the offseason, that number is based on the Lions' top 51 contracts. Once the regular season begins, all of the Lions' contracts -- 53 players on the active roster, practice squad, injured reserve, etc. -- will count against the cap. For now, though, it's just the top 51 cap numbers, but even then the Lions don't have a ton of room to work with. They are currently 30th in the NFL in cap space, ahead of only the New Orleans Saints ($2,639,612) and Kansas City Chiefs ($538,565).

Of course, it's important to remember that the Lions could easily create more cap space by simply restructuring contracts. They've already done that once this offseason by restructuring Glover Quin's contract back in May. That gave the Lions more than $2 million in extra cap space, and it wouldn't be surprising if they make a similar move with another player or two in the coming months in order to create some additional breathing room going into the regular season.