3 Detroit Lions who definitely won’t be back after D.J. Reader deal

2. Tracy Walker, S

Tracy Walker is another third-round pick who has played his entire career with the Lions up until this point. He was drafted the year before Harris and has been a consistent piece of the puzzle in Detroit's secondary ever since. Like Harris, Walker has played plenty with the Lions, appearing in at least 13 games in five of his six NFL seasons. Also like Harris, he's done this despite being more of a rotational player rather than a bonafide starter.

Yet another similarity with Walker and Harris is that both of these players saw a dip in playing time this past season. Walker's wasn't quite as stark as Harris', but he played in just 50% of the defensive snaps. That's his lowest percentage since his rookie season.

Signing C.J. Gardner Johnson reduced Walker's role. Gardner-Johnson might be gone, but Walker didn't show enough of a reason to stay with the Lions. It's an unfortunate reality as this was his first season coming off of a torn Achilles, but the NFL is a cruel business sometimes.

The Lions released the six-year veteran who was owed north of $12 million in 2024 and saved a good amount of cap space doing so. The Lions could look to bring him back at a smaller number, but as they continue to revamp their secondary, there's a good chance that Walker won't be back.