Detroit Lions’ failure to land a cornerback at NFL trade deadline has an explanation fans may not want to hear
Lions fans wanted Brad Holmes to make a bigger move at the trade deadline, but finding an available outside cornerback was easier said than done. A closer look around the league helps explain Detroit’s inactivity and reveals one opportunity it may have missed.
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Detroit Lions made exactly one trade. Detroit sent a 2028 sixth-round pick to New York for safety Andre Cisco. It wasn’t the deal I felt they should have made, and it certainly wasn’t the move Lions fans were hoping for.
I’ve been covering this team for 13 years. I know how this goes. If I don’t commiserate with you, some of you will assume I’m a paid shill. That’s not what this is.
Do I think the Lions should have made a move? Absolutely. Do I think it was a mistake that they didn’t? Absolutely. You’re right to be frustrated. But my job isn’t just to tell you they blew it. My job is to explain why I think it happened.
There was no cornerback market
Everyone knew the Lions needed a cornerback. That’s all we’ve talked about since the start of the season. But I’ve been trying to tell Lions fans for weeks that there was no cornerback market. There never was one.
Joey Porter was the market, and Detroit couldn’t get him. That’s that.
Some people will disagree with me here, but I think the Lions lucked out. Porter has been in Dallas for about five weeks, and he just missed his second game with another injury. When he’s played, he’s been okay. He’s had a couple of good games and a rough one last time out. He’s fine. He’s not second-round fine. The Lions were wise not to give up a second-round pick for him, even a 2028 second. I’d also be surprised if he stays with the Cowboys long term.
A couple of weeks ago, we put together a layout of every outside cornerback in the NFL, which is what Detroit needs more than anything. I couldn’t find many teams with a realistic reason to sell.
| Team | Outside Cornerbacks | Notes | |||||||||
| Cardinals | Max Melton / Denzel Burke | Both are young developmental pieces. Arizona has more incentive to evaluate them for its future than trade inexpensive cornerback talent. | |||||||||
| Falcons | Mike Hughes / A.J. Terrell Jr. | Terrell is a foundational defender on a major contract. Hughes is maybe more possible, but the Falcons are in the hunt in the NFC South. Why risk it? | |||||||||
| Ravens | Marlon Humphrey / Nate Wiggins | Wiggins is a young first-round cornerstone. Humphrey is an established veteran Baltimore would be reluctant to lose while competing, even if his contract invites offers. | |||||||||
| Bills | Christian Benford / Davison Igbinosun | The Bills are a Super Bowl contender with no reason to trade players away | |||||||||
| Panthers | Akayleb Evans / Will Lee III | Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve | |||||||||
| Bears | Jaylon Johnson / Malik Muhammad II | NFC North rivals | |||||||||
| Bengals | DJ Ivey / DJ Turner II | Bengals are contenders | |||||||||
| Browns | Denzel Ward / Tyson Campbell | Browns are in first place in their divsion and Ward as said he doesn’t want to leave the Browns have publicly said they don’t want to trade him. Campbell is young foundational piece. | |||||||||
| Cowboys | DaRon Bland / Joey Porter Jr. | Bland is a core defensive playmaker. Dallas recently acquired Porter, making an immediate turnaround trade especially unlikely. | |||||||||
| Broncos | Patrick Surtain II / Riley Moss | It would be a maybe on Moss or Barron if the Broncos weren’t 5-2 and contenders | |||||||||
| Packers | Keisean Nixon / Brandon Cisse | NFC North rivals | |||||||||
| Texans | Derek Stingley Jr. / Kamari Lassiter | Both are central to Houston’s defensive identity. Stingley is an elite cornerstone and Lassiter is a young, productive starter. | |||||||||
| Colts | Charvarius Ward / Sauce Gardner | Ward is essentially your best bet if you’re the Lions. Sauce Garnder is very unlikely to be traded. | |||||||||
| Jaguars | Travis Hunter / Montaric Brown | Jags are contenders | |||||||||
| Chiefs | Nohl Williams / Mansoor Delane | Chiefs are contenders. Fulton is possible, but why upset the apple cart if youre KC? | |||||||||
| Raiders | Eric Stokes / Hezekiah Masses | Maybe Stokes, but you’re getting the 90th ranked cornerback. | |||||||||
| Chargers | Tarheeb Still / Cam Hart | Hart and Still are young contributors with developmental upside. There’s just no reason to move them. | |||||||||
| Rams | Jaylen Watson / Trent McDuffie | The Rams beleive they’re contenders | |||||||||
| Dolphins | JuJu Brents / Jason Marshall Jr. | Both are relatively young options in a rebuilding secondary. Miami has reason to continue evaluating them, although neither should be considered completely unavailable. | |||||||||
| Vikings | Isaiah Rodgers / Byron Murphy Jr. | NFC North Rivals | |||||||||
| Patriots | Carlton Davis III / Christian Gonzalez | Patriots are contenders | |||||||||
| Saints | Kool-Aid McKinstry / Quincy Riley | Both represent young, affordable talent. Even if New Orleans becomes a seller, retaining developing corners makes more sense than modest returns. | |||||||||
| Giants | Deonte Banks / Greg Newsome II | Giants are in first place in the NFC East | |||||||||
| Jets | Azareye’h Thomas / Brandon Stephens | Stephens is a possibilty to watch. | |||||||||
| Eagles | Riq Woolen / Quinyon Mitchell | Mitchell and DeJean are untouchable. Woolen is the very best the Lions could do this year. He should be the top target. | |||||||||
| Steelers | Asante Samuel Jr. / Jamel Dean | The Steelers just need gusy in the room at this point. Plus Jemel Dean has played well and he’s their number 1 guy there. | |||||||||
| 49ers | Renardo Green / Deommodore Lenoir | 49ers are contenders | |||||||||
| Seahawks | Devon Witherspoon / Josh Jobe | Seahawks are contenders | |||||||||
| Buccaneers | Zyon McCollum / Jacob Parrish | Bucs reportedly do not want to make trades right now. McCollum is the possible guy, but our Bucs beat writer has told us time and again they do not want to lose him. | |||||||||
| Titans | Cor’Dale Flott / Joshua Williams | Neither of these guys are good. | |||||||||
| Commanders | Rasul Douglas / Amik Robertson | Amik is not liekly to be traded for and the Commanders don’t have much more to offer. |
The Cardinals have two young cornerbacks. Why trade them? The Chargers are 0-8, but they have two young corners on rookie deals who are playing well. If the Lions were 0-8 with two good cornerbacks who were 25 and 24 years old, you wouldn’t want them traded either.
The rest of the list looks the same. The Ravens have Marlon Humphrey on an expensive contract, and Nate Wiggins isn’t someone they want to move. The Bills are contenders. The Bears, Vikings, and Packers are NFC North rivals. Denver has a young, talented group on a winning team. The Cowboys clearly needed help, which is why they went and got Porter. The Steelers just traded Porter away, so they weren’t moving another one. The Rams still probably think they’re contenders. The Saints have a young group. The Giants are leading the NFC East, so why sell now?
The few options that existed
The teams that actually looked like possible sellers were the Eagles, Colts, and Dolphins.
Philadelphia signed Riq Woolen in free agency. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it wasn’t a small one either, and he’s played well next to Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. You can understand why the Eagles kept him. Nobody else pried Woolen loose, either. You can be mad Detroit didn’t get that deal done, but 31 other teams didn’t get it done.
The Colts made sense on paper with Charvarius Ward. But Ward is 30 years old and under contract for 2026 and 2027. There’s also been some talk that he might retire after this season. It’s not hard to see why the Lions didn’t want to send assets and money for a player who might not be around long.
Juju Brantley was probably the one guy I thought Detroit could get for something like a seventh-round pick. It didn’t happen, and the Dolphins had little reason to move a player who’s been playing well.
I know it stinks. That’s what you wanted, and you talked yourself into it. I was right there with you. I really thought they’d find somebody. They didn’t, and now we know why.
Where the Lions go from here
The next step is getting healthy and continuing to play the way they have been. Since Week 5, the Lions have had a top-5 defense in the NFL. That’s not a joke or a line to make you feel better. They’ve been playing at a high level.
They still need someone opposite D.J. Reed, who has been elite himself. Detroit just needs him back on the field, and we’ll find out Wednesday whether he’s practicing.
This doesn’t mean the season is over, even if it feels like the sky is falling. It also doesn’t mean everything is fine. The Lions need to get healthy and sort out the linebacker room.
That’s where I think they did get one wrong. Not many linebackers changed teams at the deadline, but Daiyan Henley did. I would have made the deal the Broncos made for Henley all day. If you want to say the Lions missed on something, that’s the one.
A big game against the Patriots in Germany is up next on Sunday. Let’s see what happens.
