Teams generally get praise for their steals in the draft or for finding diamonds in the rough. The Detroit Lions are among those teams that have a knack for producing contributors out of the ether.
Yet, teams rarely get any credit for knowing when to cut ties with their players. So often, a team holds onto a disappointment for far too long, only to watch them lose any trade value they may have. This might be happening with Giovanni Manu, and the Lions would be wise to consider trading him before the Nov. 4 deadline.
Lions Should Cut Ties with Giovanni Manu Before the Trade Deadline
When Manu was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft, the organization and the fan base knew that he'd be a developmental project. He was a raw prospect with intriguing physical and athletic tools, but needed time to develop into an NFL-caliber offensive lineman. A year and a half later, the 24-year-old offensive tackle has yet to show any flashes to warrant a roster spot.
This was made obvious when Manu got the start at left tackle in Week 5 in Taylor Decker's absence. His first NFL start couldn't have gotten any worse for Manu, who allowed two sacks and QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus, receiving a miserable 17.5 pass block grade, and an overall 42.2 offensive grade in his 62 snaps.
After this game, Manu landed on the injury report with a knee ailment and was eventually placed on the injured reserve list, missing the next two games. In his place, Dan Skipper did a much better job before Decker returned against the Bucs.
Manu will miss two more games upon the Lions' return from their bye week. This complicates matters as the Nov. 4 trade deadline falls in between those two games. Yet, there is nothing prohibiting a team from trading a player on the IR list. Especially since Manu's injury is not expected to keep him out for much longer, there is a scenario in which a team takes a flier on him.
Left tackles with Manu's physical and athletic tools are hard to find. A team without the Super Bowl aspirations that the Lions have could be more patient and give him developmental reps that Detroit can't. Even if Decker suffers another injury, it would be a bad idea for Dan Campbell to start Manu when Skipper is obviously a better option.
Manu is on track to not be on the roster after this season. Instead of cutting him after the season, the Lions should prefer to get a Day 3 pick in return for him. Perhaps it's not the most attractive move to make at the deadline, but the Lions need to understand when it's time to move on.