2017 Lions cut: Cornelius Lucas released

After claiming both Brian Mihalik and Zac Kerin off of waivers, the Detroit Lions had to make corresponding moves to clear up roster spots. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, one of those moves will be cutting tackle Cornelius Lucas.

Lucas joined the team in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and played on and off for three years as an injury replacement, mostly at right tackle. He made 35 game appearances, including six starts. However, the Lions have constantly tried to upgrade the tackle position since he joined the Lions. He was never really even under consideration when left tackle Taylor Decker went down with an injury, suggesting Lucas was likely on his way out.

This is a move in a series of transactions that have saved the Lions a lot of cap space this week. First, Matthew Stafford’s new contract created $5.5 million in space for 2017. Then, the trades of Laken Tomlinson and Johnson Bademosi opened $1.2 million and $1.3 million in cap space respectively. By releasing Lucas, the Lions saved an additional $1.2 million in cap space.

We’re still waiting for the Detroit Lions to officially announce the roster moves and reveal the final necessary transaction.

Lucas seemed to confirm the release via Twitter on Sunday afternoon: