Report: Detroit Lions to release NT Damon Harrison

The Detroit Lions will be releasing defensive tackle Damon Harrison ASR’s this offseason, as first reported by Twitter’s Incarcerated Bob and later corroborated by Benjamin Allbright.

The move will save the Lions almost $7 million in cap for the upcoming season. The 31-year old had indicated at the end of the 2019 season that he may retire. Per Allbright, that remains a possibility.

Harrison arrived in Detroit midway through the 2018 season after being traded from the New York Giants for a conditional fifth-round draft pick. He was a stellar addition to Detroit’s defensive front, and seemed to cure the teams issues defending the run.

As a result, the Lions handed him a one-year extension following that half-season that included $12 million in guarantees.

The defensive tackle regressed in 2019, though, as he and the rest of the team’s defensive interior seemed to struggle, with Harrison specifically dealing with multiple injuries.

Harrison’s release, along with the impending free agency of fellow defensive tackles Mike Daniels and A’Shawn Robinson, leaves the team thin at the position currently. Da’Shawn Hand is the only returning player who has been a regular part of the rotation in years past.