With the NFL trade deadline coming up in just a few weeks (November 4), analysts are starting to ramp up their predictions for the trading frenzy. In fact, we’ve already seen a handful of trades in the lead-up to the deadline.
Like any team, the Detroit Lions could stand to improve their roster as they try to make a Super Bowl run this season. With all of the injuries in the secondary and the perceived lack of a pass rush threat opposite Aidan Hutchinson, it’s no surprise that many analysts are predicting the Lions to make a move somewhere on defense before the trade deadline.
That was certainly the case for ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. In his latest piece, Barnwell proposed 13 different trades, and two of them involve the Detroit Lions. Here’s a look at each proposal and part of his reasoning for each.
Lions get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2026 fourth-round pick
Bengals get: 2026 second-round pick
The Lions have one superstar up front in Aidan Hutchinson, but they’ve never really landed that second one. Alim McNeill has been a solid disrupter on the interior, but the defensive tackle is still recovering from a torn ACL and just returned to practice last week. Marcus Davenport is on injured reserve with a chest issue. Al-Quadin Muhammad has 4.5 sacks, but the well-traveled veteran had just 15 sacks in his first seven pro seasons — and 2.5 of his sacks in 2025 were on plays when he was either unblocked or cleaned up as part of a coverage sack. Muhammad is a useful player, but I think the Lions could upgrade across from Hutchinson.
Nothing Barnwell says above is untrue, although it does ignore the fact that Davenport is expected back shortly after Detroit’s Week 8 bye week. And, to be quite honest, those trade terms are more than fair for a talent like Hendrickson, who has 4.0 sacks this season and has posted back-to-back years with 17.5 sacks. He’s also pretty darn good against the run, so he’d be a good fit, and I understand why he keeps getting paired with the Lions.
However, money is the primary issue. Barnwell points to Detroit’s current $25 million in cap space as reason enough to make the move and even mentions the fact the Lions are trying to roll over as much money as possible so they can pay their young players on upcoming extensions (Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, among others), yet doesn’t realize that’s what the Lions are earmarking that cap space for. Acquiring Hendrickson would necessitate taking on a prorated portion of his $16 million salary, which is not a ton, but is still likely more than they’d be willing to pay. And considering the Lions would almost certainly not be able to offer Hendrickson an extension beyond this year, that’s a lot of draft capital and salary cap to eat for a player who will likely only play around seven or eight games for you.
Also, with the Bengals winning on Thursday Night Football, they may not view themselves as the seller that other teams believe they are.
Lions get: Edge Jaelan Phillips, 2026 seventh-round pick
Dolphins get: 2026 fourth-round pick
Barnwell sticks with the edge rusher route here, albeit a cheaper option. Not only would this require less draft capital, but it would only cost a prorated amount of Phillips’ $13.25 million salary (probably around $6 million depending on when the trade occurs).
The Dolphins are certainly more in the “seller” category than the Bengals, and may be offering a fire sale.
But I’m not sure Phillips is the game-changing player the Lions need. Barnwell even admits as much:
The 2021 first-round pick has just one sack and three knockdowns through five games, but there’s a lot more to like under the hood. His 14.5% pressure rate and 6.8% quick pressure rate, both per Next Gen Stats, are well above league average for edge rushers with 100 or more snaps this season.
Additionally, Phillips is not the kind of defensive end the Lions like opposite Hutchinson. They want size and power to crush the pocket and set the edge in the run game. Phillips is 6-foot-5, but only 263. Compare that to 6-foot-6, 285-pound Marcus Davenport or 6-foot-4, 285-pound Tyler Lacy.
The problem with this argument is that Barnwell doesn’t quite understand Detroit’s defensive scheme. He points to their “quick pressure rate” ranking 27th in the NFL, but doesn’t realize that it is partially by design. Detroit prefers their pass rushers to condense the pocket rather than attack gaps quickly. Phillips, on the other hand, has a pressure rate average of 2.6 seconds, seventh-fastest. While impressive, it’s just not what the Lions are typically looking for.
So while I wouldn’t mind the Lions getting a little aggressive at the trade deadline, neither of these options make a ton of sense to me.
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