Detroit Lions mailbag: Trade deadline edition

Breaking down possible Detroit Lions trade targets, their likelihood of making a trade, and how much Lions GM Brad Holmes should be willing to shell out.

The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away, and for the first time in recent memory, the Detroit Lions are considered obvious buyers. With a 5-2 record, but a huge humbling at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens have put things into perspective: the Lions are clearly in a position to make a run, but could use a piece or two to make them a more complete team.

So on this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, myself and Erik Schlitt fielded a bunch of questions about the trade deadline, positions of needs, players that would make sense, and whether general manager Brad Holmes is likely to do anything this trade deadline season.

Here are some snippets of our conversation.

On the likelihood the Lions do a big deal:

Erik: “My expectations are to keep your expectations very low. If they do acquire a guy, my guess is it comes in the secondary because of the (Emmanuel) Moseley injury. Again, I don’t know if they’re looking for a youth player that’s going to come in and challenge to start necessarily. It’s possible they look at a veteran out there and try to add some depth so that you’re not having to turn to Will Harris if there’s an injury. That makes more sense, but I just don’t see Brad Holmes wanting to deal more than anything like a mid-Day 3 pick.”

On why this is a particularly difficult trade deadline to predict:

Jeremy: “Look around the league right now. Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 23 have three wins already. All but nine! How many of those teams are going to be willing sellers right now when they’re right in the mix of everything?”

“Washington’s another example. There are crazy rumors spreading around that the Lions are about to pillage the Commanders. The Commanders are 3-4! They’re a half-game out of a playoff spot! I don’t think they’re ready to start selling.”

Jeremy on Kendall Fuller as a trade possibility:

“Again, I don’t know if the Commanders are truly in it, but Kendall Fuller is a guy, to me, that he’s veteran, he’s played long enough, he’s got a little inside/outside versatility that it makes at least a little bit of sense to me. He’s on the last year of his deal, I believe, too. All of that… sure, maybe. Washington just drafted two young corners, too. But at the same time, if you have two young corners, having a guy like Kendall Fuller in the room is a great resource for those guys.”

Erik on Marcus Peters as a trade possibility:

“I think Marcus Peters is a guy who’s 30, and he’s got a lower contract. He’s comfortable in man, he comes from the Ravens’ scheme, so he’s familiar with (Lions DB coach Brian) Duker, and I don’t think you’re going to have to overpay, and he’s not going to kill your cost. So a guy like Marcus Peters, maybe. Maybe he’s a guy that the Lions would go after and he doesn’t necessarily have to start.”

Other topics include:

• Any players the Lions should consider trading away?
• How will the Lions hold up at cornerback if they don’t make a trade there?
• How will the Lions adjust to life without Marvin Jones Jr.?
• Where does Jack Campbell fit on this roster long-term? Why is he playing some much EDGE—and should he?
• Has the ceiling of this Lions team lowered after Sunday’s blowout loss?

Check out the entire episode below, or watch the full version of the show on YouTube or Twitch.