If the Detroit Lions are ‘all-in’ they need to acquire Stephon Gilmore

After winning back-to-back football games, the Detroit Lions decided to bolster their defensive front.  Now, if Bob Quinn is serious about making a run at the NFC North or the playoffs in general, the organization should trade for All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Don’t forget the Detroit Lions ownership gave the current management regime an ultimatum last winter; either play meaningful games in December or the ax will fall.  This may have been the motivation behind general manager Bob Quinn’s most recent addition.

The Lions have clawed their way back to a 3-3 record after their heroic walk-off win in Atlanta, certainly also fueling the teams’ trade deadline direction of being buyers rather than sellers.  The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 3rd, at 4 pm Est.

After landing Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2021, Quinn should consider landing the leagues’ defensive player of the year in 2019, Stephon Gilmore.

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The Detroit Lions offense has enough weapons to win meaningful games, especially with the way their offensive line is performing along with the emergence of rookie running back D’Andre Swift.  The defense, on the other hand, remains a work in progress.

It’s a Matt Patricia-led defense that has plenty of bright-spots but also has an abundance of concerns.  In recent weeks the Lions defense has shored up their ability to defend the run led by Da’Shawn Hand, but the team needed to find additional pass-rush help, and Griffen brings that.

The next order of business should be landing a shutdown man-to-man corner, and who better than the reigning defensive player of the year?

The Lions are getting tremendous production from second-year man Amani Oruwariye.  According to Pro Football Focus, despite only earning a less than average overall rating of 59.1, Oruwariye has yet to allow more than 51 yards in a single game.

Oruwariye has allowed a catch rate of just 46.7% and an average of 14.4 yards per catch.  He’s been Detroit’s top corner but could also use a running mate that will be an upgrade to Desmond Trufant, who can’t seem to stay on the football field.  Also, Jeff Okudah clearly needs some time to develop before he blossoms into a lockdown corner.

Stephon Gilmore is struggling more than usual this season playing with a subpar New England Patriots team.  He’s allowing a 62.5% catch rate, allowing 13.9 yards per completion, while earning just a 61.0 rating, a far cry from the 90.7 and 82.8 over the last two seasons.

The 30-year old has one year remaining on his current deal worth $17.1 million before becoming a free agent in 2022.  He’s a perfect fit for the Lions man-to-man defense and would play a vital role in the teams’ success moving forward.

It isn’t easy to trade future assets to win-now when many don’t expect this Lions team is ready to make a real playoff run.  I wonder if Bill Belichick would do his friend a solid and move Gilmore for a third-round pick?  It’s still a steep price to pay, but Gilmore is a phenomenal talent, and landing his services along with maintaining their first and second-round pick is still a win for Detroit.

If Quinn can land Griffen and Gilmore, suddenly, this Detroit Lions defense will be trending in the right direction.