The bloodletting has begun.
The Detroit Lions informed cornerback Desmond Trufant that he will be released when the new league year opens later this month, ESPN reported, the first of several moves the team is expected to make to get under the 2021 salary cap.
Trufant, who played just six games for the Lions last season because of a recurring hamstring injury, was set to make $9.5 million in base salary this fall, with $3.5 million of that guaranteed.
The move will free up roughly $6 million in cap space.
The Lions currently sit above next year's salary cap floor of $180 million - the cap has not yet been determined - and need to free up money to add Jared Goff in a trade, use the franchise tag on Kenny Golladay, make moves in free agency and sign their draft class.