Detroit Lions trading Jeff Okudah to Atlanta Falcons

According to several reports, the Detroit Lions are trading former first-round pick Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons. The Lions are reportedly getting a fifth-round pick (No. 159 overall) in return from the Falcons.

This offseason, the Lions made several moves at the cornerback position that brought Okudah’s future with the team into question. The Lions signed Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency—arguably three new starters at the cornerback positions.

Meanwhile, Okudah’s career in Detroit never took off. After a bumpy rookie season dealing with a core injury, Okudah lost his entire sophomore NFL season after suffering a torn Achilles early in the year. In 2022, he finally had the opportunity to showcase the talents that the previous regime saw when they took him third overall. While he was certainly improved, Okudah’s play eventually dropped toward the end of the season and he was benched in favor of Mike Hughes, who the Lions did not retain in free agency.

The Lions will still eat about $5.5 million in dead cap for Okudah, but his guaranteed salary travels to the Falcons, opening up over $5.1 million more in cap space.