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Footballguy
Link ESPN Trade Ideas
Lions get: Edge Trey Hendrickson, 2026 fourth-round pick
Bengals get: 2026 second-round pick
Let's see the Lions make their all-in move. General manager Brad Holmes comes from Los Angeles, where the Rams sent second- and third-round picks to the Broncos to add Von Miller in 2021, paying extra to get Denver to eat virtually all of Miller's remaining salary. The eight-time Pro Bowler had four sacks and six knockdowns during the Rams' push to the Super Bowl. Holmes had already made his way to Detroit by the time that all happened, but I don't think he'll be naive to the impact of adding a second great pass rusher to a roster.
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 disruptor 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 where he was either unblocked or cleaned up as part of a coverage sack. Muhammad's a useful player, but I think the Lions could upgrade across from Hutchinson.
Furthermore, the Lions are dealing with a secondary that's already battered by injuries. Free agent addition D.J. Reed (hamstring) is on injured reserve, while Terrion Arnold narrowly avoided a multimonth shoulder injury. Arnold, a 2024 first-round pick, was struggling even before he went down hurt. One way to help that secondary is to have a more efficient pass rush, especially without needing to blitz.
If the Lions are ever going to make that all-in swing, this is the year. Holmes has more than $25 million in cap space and a bevy of players coming up for contracts after this season. Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and Jack Campbell are all likely to sign extensions over the next 12 months, which will eat up significant cash and cap space. Trading for a player on a short-term contract such as Hendrickson is a luxury the Lions can afford now. It will be much more difficult in the years to come. And while Holmes and coach Dan Campbell are very careful about establishing a culture in Detroit, Campbell would have crossed paths with the talented defensive end when he and Hendrickson were both in New Orleans. This wouldn't be as risky as it seems.
I've pitched a Hendrickson to the Lions trade before, and it's come with more draft capital going to the Bengals. This wouldn't be as lucrative of a deal. Why? Timing. If the Lions were going to acquire Hendrickson during the offseason, it would have been as part of a move to sign the star pass rusher to an extension. Now, with Hendrickson in the final year of his deal, this would be a pure rental. The Bengals are closer to losing Hendrickson for nothing in free agency.
The Bengals have to be realistic about their chances of competing for a title without Joe Burrow, who is out indefinitely with a toe injury. They've lost four straight without their star quarterback and by an average of more than 21 points per contest. The Bengals have a three-game homestand against the Steelers, Jets and Bears to come before their Week 10 bye, but the chances that they'll hold on with Joe Flacco at quarterback well enough to stay in the playoff race by the time Burrow comes back are slim.
If they're going to lose Hendrickson this offseason, trading him now could lock in a second-round pick in the 2026 draft as opposed to landing a potential compensatory pick in 2027. It also saves the Bengals nearly $11 million in cash. And while I could be cynical and say that it's money the Bengals would be in position to pocket, that's real money the Bengals could push toward making the 2026 team better as opposed to wasting it on a 2025 team that's dead on arrival without Burrow at quarterback. And in a division where the Packers added Micah Parsons and promptly blew out the Lions, would Hendrickson shift the balance of power back toward Detroit?
Lions land another big-time pass rusher
Lions get: Edge Jaelan Phillips, 2026 seventh-round pick
Dolphins get: 2026 fourth-round pick
Sorry, I should have clarified: I'm arguing that the Lions should go all-in. This team experienced what it was like to lose Hutchinson and virtually every one of its other ambulatory pass rushers last season. Its secondary is battling injuries. No team has ever made it into January and complained that it had too many pass rushers. Detroit ranks 27th in quick pressure rate when it rushes four or fewer at the quarterback, per NFL Next Gen Stats. So the Lions could very comfortably stand to add two impactful pass rushers to their roster between now and the trade deadline.
Phillips' stats aren't overwhelming, as 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. Phillips' average pressure comes after just 2.6 seconds, the seventh-fastest rate among that cohort. He has battled a series of injuries, including an Achilles tear and a pair of ACL tears, but he has been healthy this season.
Adding Phillips would give defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard more depth at edge rusher and the ability to present some exotic looks and real problems for guards on passing downs. Watch the highlight of Ladd McConkey's 42-yard catch late in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins last week, and you'll see the 26-year-old immediately roast Mekhi Becton on the interior, blowing up the play. Justin Herbert does a great job of shrugging off Phillips to find McConkey, but creating pressure is the best indicator of future sacks. With Hutchinson and Hendrickson on the outside, Phillips would be a terrifying matchup for guards alongside McNeill.
It would hurt the Lions to trade multiple draft picks for Hendrickson and Phillips on short-term contracts, but they would likely be in position to recoup some of those selections later on. Given the amount of money they'll need to spend over the next 12 months to keep their young talent around on new contracts, it would be a surprise if the Lions were heavy spenders in free agency this upcoming offseason. Hendrickson and Phillips should both be in position to garner Detroit compensatory picks in the 2027 draft. Those picks won't make the trade free, but if the Lions send second- and fourth-round picks out in 2026 and get fourth- and seventh-rounders in 2026 to go with fourth- and fifth-round compensatory picks in 2027, that's not an arduous price to pay to add two talented pass rushers to a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Would love to see one or both trades, but not holding my breath.
