Detroit Lions

7 players the Lions must move on from in 2016

Published Jan. 20, 2016 4:00 p.m. ET

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The Detroit Lions need to revamp their roster this offseason. In order to bring in fresh talent, they need to first part ways with the players who have grown stale.

There's one player who might get cut for the cap savings. The other players on this list have contracts expiring this spring and may not be back in Detroit for the 2016 season.

The Lions must move on from the following seven players.

1. Stephen Tulloch

The Lions may need to make a tough decision at linebacker this offseason, since Tulloch saw a significant drop-off in his snap count after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2014. It no longer seems fitting for the Lions to pay him $7.3 million when they can retain fellow linebacker Tahir Whitehead at a far cheaper rate. Although Tulloch led the team with 107 tackles, Detroit has to consider cutting him and saving $6 million in cap space.

2. Haloti Ngata

Ngata was a failed experiment with 24 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 14 games. He's about to be a 32-year-old free agent, and the Lions have few reasons to re-sign him. One reason would be that defensive tackle remains a position of need. The Lions would be better off, however, bringing in a younger player who's a better fit in their system than they would be retaining Ngata and hoping for more than a marginal impact.

3. James Ihedigbo

Ihedigbo entered the 2015 season as a reliable starter, but things took an unexpected turn for him around the midway mark. He was benched after Detroit's 1-7 start, and Isa Abdul-Quddus distinguished himself as a much better option at safety during the team's 6-2 stretch to end the season. Both players are approaching free agency; if the Lions opt to retain just one, they should give preference to Abdul-Quddus.

Lions safety James Ihedigbo lost his starting job in 2015.

4. Darryl Tapp

Tapp is a leader who saw a fair amount of snaps in 2015, but the 31-year-old journeyman's stint in Detroit may be coming to an end. He and fellow defensive end Jason Jones are about to be free agents, and the Lions have to prioritize the player who is the full-time starter. With Devin Taylor also emerging as a promising pass-rusher, there's not much room left for Tapp in the defensive end rotation.

5. Manny Ramirez

The Lions kept Ramirez around as a veteran reserve in 2015, but he wasn't much help for one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Detroit is looking to get younger and stronger along the offensive line, and Ramirez offers neither of those traits with a 33rd birthday coming up in February. There's some serious work to be done on this unit in the offseason, starting with finding a versatile veteran who can step in and start if need be.

6. Lance Moore

Moore was a nice addition to the receiving corps who chipped in with 29 receptions for 337 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. The longtime New Orleans Saints pass-catcher is unlikely to produce much more than that next season, as he'll be 33 years old. T.J. Jones showed some future potential down the stretch; the Lions also have Corey Fuller, an exclusive-rights free agent, so there's no pressing need to bring back Moore.

7. Travis Lewis

Although Lewis contributed heavily on special teams, that's probably not enough to earn him a new contract. The former seventh-round draft pick has never been much of a contributor on defense, making him an expendable athlete. The Lions can let Lewis walk in free agency and effectively replace his impact with any rookie.

*All salary cap information courtesy of OverTheCap.com