The Detroit Lions‘ defense took a devastating blow during Sunday’s 47-9 blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys, when superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson was lost for the season after fracturing his tibia while sacking Dak Prescott.
Hutchinson is one of the more consistently excellent edge rushers in the sport, and a critical piece of the Lions’ success on defense.
Now with Hutchinson lost for the season, after producing a league-high 7.5 sacks through the first five games, the Lions’ depth will be tested.
Fortunately for Detroit, general manager Brad Holmes has built one of the most talented rosters, from top to bottom, in the entire league.
“It isn’t just about talent acquisition,” an NFL Executive told me Sunday night, praising what Holmes and the Lions have built on defense. “But its about roster construction, and that’s where Brad is at the top of the league.”
Still, with so much at stake for the Lions this season, with a roster built to compete for a Super Bowl and with the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings pacing NFC North, Holmes could look to make a big splash ahead of the trade deadline to add a pass-rusher.
Detroit Lions Top Trade Targets to Replace Aidan Hutchinson
Haason Reddick, New York Jets
It’s a completely open question whether the Jets have any interest in trading Reddick, who is embroiled in months-long holdout since New York acquired him in a deal last March with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reddick has accumulated millions of dollars in fines, was recently fired by his agency, and hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, which could lead to reignited negotiations with the Jets.
However, if general manager Joe Douglas and New York aren’t willing to bend to Reddick’s financial demands and believe that he’ll never actually report to the team’s facility, trading him to the Lions would result in getting an explosive pass rusher out of the conference while acquiring some draft capital in the process.
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals will likely need to decide how reasonable their chances of competing for a playoff berth this season are, sometime in the next two weeks, or so.
In the meantime, Holmes and the Lions could put together a strong package to acquire the veteran pass-rusher with 64.5 career sacks, including five so far this season.
Hendrickson could be an ideal fit for defensive coordinator Aaron Glen’s system, with the potential to be an instant high-impact contributor at one of the weaker positions on the roster.
Maxx Crosby, Las vegas Raiders
Azeez Ojulari, New York Giants
After falling to the Cincinnati Bengals, and scoring just seven points against one of the most porous defenses in the NFL, the New York Giants may be on the cusp of holding a fire sale.
The fact that Kayvon Thibodeaux will miss at least the next three games, while on injured reserve, may complicate trading Ojulari, a bit, but, if general manager Joe Schoen prioritizes acquiring draft capital for the future rather than fielding a competent front-seven in 2024 he may be a top trade chip.
Ojulari has 19 career sacks since being chosen by the Giants in the second-round of the 2021 NFL Draft and could be an affordable option for Holmes and the Lions to make a significant impact.
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