The Detroit Lions went 3-12-1 in the 2019 season. Things went really south when quarterback Matthew Stafford went down with an injury.

At that time, Detroit was 3-4-1. They went 0-8 without Stafford though. This highlighted the incredibly desperate need for some changes in the organization.

The roster needs to make improvements. That means bringing in some new players. Of course, bringing in new players also means some old faces will need to leave.

Here is one player who could be a surprise roster cut this offseason for the Lions.

Honestly, there was a second where I thought about going with Matthew Stafford. The Lions might want to dump him and start fresh. A great quarterback, absolutely. They haven't really accomplished much with him though. It might be time to go full tank mode.

Stafford is a star though. A hot property. Detroit could probably get quite a bit for the quarterback. Simply put, they won't cut him. If the Lions decide to go a different route, Stafford will be traded.

The same can't be said for Jesse James though. James has had some good years in the past. However, the tight end did not do much for Detroit in 2019.

In 16 games, James had 27 receptions for 142 yards and no touchdowns. To compare, Logan Thomas had 28 receptions for 173 yards and one touchdown.

Of course, there's the real star of the group, T.J. Hockenson. The rookie appeared in just 12 games. Despite that, he led the group in receptions (32), yards (367), and touchdowns (2).

Hockenson was the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Clearly, he is the future of the position for Detroit. And someone that might be able to help Stafford fix the franchise.

Still though, James could stay for depth purposes, right? Sure, absolutely. However, he's a $5,279,000 cap hit to the Lions in 2020. That's a lot of money.

The Lions could probably bring back Thomas, or get someone else in free agency, for a lot cheaper. They also have Isaac Nauta, who was a seventh-round pick last season. The rookie had just two receptions for 13 yards in six games. He has potential though, and is owed just $585,000.

So Detroit has Hockenson and Nauta. Do they really want to spend over $5,000,000 on another tight end? That just seems unnecessary.

If the Lions want to have that extra money to spend on the offensive line, or in the secondary, could you really blame them?

James has had a very solid career. It makes no sense to pay him that much money to be an afterthought in the offense though.