Written by Cameron DaSilva at FoxSports.com
Every year after the draft, a number of players find themselves in danger of being released. Whether it has to do with past injuries, a lack of production, or a high draft pick having a good chance to displace them in the starting lineup, veteran cuts are just a part of playing in the NFL.
Most of the big-name cuts come after June 1 so that teams save more cap space and incur less dead money, so we could see a few well-known veterans on the chopping block relatively soon.
Here are 13 players who could be in danger of being released this offseason.
Benjamin Watson, TE, Ravens
Watson missed all of 2016 with an Achilles injury after he was expected to add a new wrinkle to the Ravens’ offense. Now, he’s in danger of never playing a game in Baltimore. The Ravens are deeper at tight end than just about every other team, having three capable starters besides Watson.
Dennis Pitta, Maxx Williams and Crocket Gillmore will all see snaps this season, leaving Watson as the odd man out. The Ravens can save $3 million in cap space by releasing the injury-prone 36-year-old.
Dion Lewis, RB, Patriots
The Patriots are masters of getting production out of running backs who cost very little, and that’s likely to continue in 2017. They signed both Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee, and applied a rarely used tender to LeGarrette Blount, opening the door for a return. All of these moves could signal the end of Lewis’ up-and-down tenure in New England.
The 5-foot-8 back is similar to the player that James White is, only he comes with fewer injury concerns and is under contract for three fewer years. That could lead Bill Belichick to make the decision to cut Lewis, save more than $1.2 million and give White more playing time.
Adam Jones, CB, Bengals
Jones continues to find himself in trouble off the field, yet the Bengals refuse to cut ties with the veteran cornerback. Whether it was his arrest earlier this offseason or going off on a 911 operator after a fender-bender, Jones can’t stay out of the headlines – and not the good headlines.
The Bengals need to move on from the troubled cornerback and avoid any further incidents. They’re going to have enough distractions with the Joe Mixon situation, and having a bad influence like Jones in the locker room won’t help anything.
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