Detroit Lions: 5 Players Who Should Be Let Go

Just a few short years ago, the Detroit Lions made history as the worst NFL team of all time after suffering trhough an 0-16 season.  Matt Millen had been given the keys and then proceeded to wrap the Fords' franchise around a tree. 

It was a total loss. 

The team was nearly devoid of talent.  The front office and coaching staff were to football what the Edsel was to automobiles.

Major changes were needed and major changes were made.  In just three short years, Martin Mayhew, with very astute drafting and some shrewd trades, has helped Jim Schwartz transform the Lions into a playoff football team.

The Lions have as good a core of young players as any in the NFL.  Now they have to add talent where it is needed and trim any fat that will keep them from becoming a Superbowl contender.

Here are five players that the Lions would be better off not having to rely on moving forward.

No. 5: Corey Williams

Corey Williams has been a valuable player, and his acquisition in exchange for Denver's fifth-round pick a couple of years ago was one of Mayhew's many trades of subtle genius. 

However, Williams is now 31 and his production has dropped off this season.  He is still the starter and gets first string minutes, but Sammie Lee Hill does the same things Williams does, only better at this point.  It's clear that the Lion's long and short term plan is to have a Ndamukong Suh/Nick Fairley tandem at starting at DT.

Williams' $6 million-plus salary cap number isn't going to help his chances of staying around.  A healthy three-DT rotation of Suh, Fairley and Hill is the best in the NFL.

Thanks for the hard work, Corey.

No. 4: Amari Spievey

Don't get me wrong, Amari Spievey is a serviceable player, he just has too many mental lapses. 

He doesn't lack for athletic ability, tackling skill or willingness to stick his nose in and hit someone.  He simply doesn't make plays in coverage, and his diagnosis of passing plays is not very good (to put it politely).

I'm not advocating removing him from the roster.  I don't think that drafting him was a terrible decision.  He is just not a starting-caliber safety on a contending team.  He has had enough playing time that by now that we would know if he was a starting caliber safety on a playoff team.

He would be a quality backup, and could be a top-notch special teams player with a some practice and a little coaching up.

No. 3: Nate Burleson

Nate Burleson was a very important get for the Lions a couple of years ago. 

He was one of the Top 3 free agents at his position, and he chose to come to Detroit.  He is now 30 years old and has difficulty beating man to man coverage.  He isn't the best with run-after-the-catch either.  This is evidenced by his RB or TE-like 10.3 yards per catch average.

Burleson isn't terrible, but if the Lions want to go to the next level they will need another threat on the outside that can beat man to man coverage and do something with the ball after the catch.

Nate Burleson wouldn't be the second WR on any of the teams in position for a playoff spot right now, except the Lions.

No. 2: Stephen Peterman

The photo says it all.

The hardest shot I can remember Matt Stafford taking this season was against the Bears, when they lined Julius Peppers up over Stephen Peterman and got the one-on-one matchup they were looking for. 

One step to the outside and a quick arm-over slap move later, and Stafford was taking a huge shot straight to the kisser.  Peterman didn't even have the decency (or foot speed) to just tackle him.

Sometimes Peterman looks awful, and sometimes he looks decent.  I can't remember a time when he looked really good.  Peterman is unspectacularly average (at best). 

The Lions routinely fail to get any sort of push up the middle and rarely get interior lineman to the second level—Peterman is part of that problem and not part of the solution.

I won't be sad to see his $3 million salary go either.

No. 1: Dominic Raiola

This one is tough.  Dominic Raiola is the very definition of hard work, hustle and tireless toil under the worst of conditions, just the types of traits that appeal to the long-suffering, blue collar, diehard Lions fans. 

He has never been a great athlete and is one of the smallest offensive lineman in the league.  Over the last couple of years has been mauled by the larger, stronger and more athletic defensive tackles.

His age (and cap hit) makes his sooner-rather-than-later departure inevitable.  It would be sad to see him work so diligently and faithfully through the worst of times, and then be cut loose.  He deserves to be around to be part of the success.

The best case scenario would be for the Lions to draft a center or sign one via free agency, then cut Raiola and re-sign him at a much lower price to be the backup for his last few years.