Are the Detroit Lions buyers or sellers at the NFL trade deadline?
By Bob Heyrman
After making a significant mid-season trade this past week sparked by back-to-back victories, the Detroit Lions failed to show up to work Sunday.
Entering Sunday’s Week Eight matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, the Detroit Lions had been riding a high after earning back-to-back road wins over Jacksonville and Atlanta. General manager Bob Quinn felt so confident he sent a sixth-round draft pick to the reeling Dallas Cowboys in exchange for veteran defensive end Everson Griffen.
I almost feel like we are back on the schoolyard grounds chasing Jerry Jones around as he screams ‘no trade backs.’ No, the Detroit Lions won’t get that sixth-round choice back but let’s pump the brakes a little bit.
Yes, the Lions lost Sunday by a score of 41-21. Here’s the thing, so did both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. If Quinn felt the team had been indeed knocking on the playoff door, they didn’t lose any ground over the weekend. The sad part is the organization failed to gain ground within the NFC North division, with both teams a few ladder rungs above them.
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Although the Lions made that trade to acquire Griffen last week, he could not suit up this past weekend against the Colts due to the leagues’ COVID-19 protocol. Griffen will indeed strap up the pads in Detroit’s critical matchup against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, in Week Nine.
So are the Detroit Lions buyers or sellers heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline?
With the NFL trade deadline a day away, yesterday’s loss may have pressed Quinn to quickly go from buyers to sellers in just a week. Detroit has some valuable assets in which they could attempt to retain some of the draft picks they’ve dealt away heading into the 2021 draft.
The Lions could try and move receivers Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, both pending free agents, or even Kenny Golladay if they feel they won’t be inclined to pay the pass-catcher nearly 20% of the cap. Golladay would bring the Lions a premium return in a trade, whereas most of the teams’ other assets will replace the late-round draft picks the team is without in ’21.
Trading Golladay isn’t a popular take in Detroit, especially with its fans, but don’t be surprised if the trade rumors ramp up in the offseason if Golladay isn’t moved before Tuesday’s deadline. There must be a reason Quinn has failed to reward the teams’ most talented offensive weapon, aside from Matthew Stafford, especially after the likes of Keenan Allen had set the market.
I suspect with both the Bears and Packers losing Sunday; the Detroit Lions will stand-pat with their current roster, basically playing chicken and burning an opportunity to get better now with another impactful player or in the future with draft capital.
Next. If the Detroit Lions are ‘all-in’ they need to acquire Stephon Gilmore. dark
If I’m the teams’ general manager, I’d be moving as many pending free agents for future assets as possible, understanding the team has failed to show any consistency. They haven’t been consistently good or bad. They’ve performed all over the map but have yet to beat a good football team.