NFL Salary Cap Casualties: 6 Linebackers Who Might Be New York Giants
By Neal Lynch
Stephen Tulloch, ILB (Detroit Lions)
Age: 31
2016 Cap Hit: $7,300,000
Likeliness Grade for Trade / Cut: B
*$500,000 roster bonus due at an undisclosed March date
Trade/Cut: $1.3M 2016 dead cap ($6M savings)
Since 2010, and outside of 2014 when he missed 13 games after tearing his ACL celebrating a sack, Tulloch has only missed 1 start. So, minus a freak accident, Tulloch’s been pretty consistent. Subtract 2014 and his “AV” only fell below 7 once (6 in 2009) since 2008. Again, take out 2014 and Tulloch has accumulated 74 or more solo tackles each season since 2009. Not quite D’Qwell, but Tulloch’s a couple years younger and would be a decent stop-gap if he were to come down on the asking price.
From DetroitLions.com:
"“Tulloch was a particularly weak spot for Detroit’s pass defense, and part of the reason he became a part-time player. Teams completed 48 of the 58 passes thrown on him for 481 yards, five touchdowns and a passer rating of 130.0.”"
Woof. On the flip side, Denver Broncos linebackers coach Reggie Herring, who was Tulloch’s linebackers coach for one season at North Carolina State, said:
"“The one great thing about Stephen Tulloch, and it’s always been the case, is he has great instincts, tremendous quickness and lateral movement and has always had a nose for the ball.”"
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