The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday they designated defensive end Ezekiel Ansah as their franchise player.
CBS Sports' Joel Corry estimated in December the franchise tag for a defensive end could be worth a little more than $17.4 million guaranteed. According to Over the Cap, the Lions are projected to have about $44.7 million in salary-cap space—not accounting for Ansah's franchise tender.
The Lions selected Ansah fifth overall in the 2013 draft, and he immediately lived up to expectations.
The BYU product tallied 15.5 sacks combined during his first two seasons, and he experienced a breakout in 2015, when he piled up 14.