I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the Detroit Lions have some injury issues on their defensive line. Alim McNeill, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, and Mekhi Wingo are all set to miss varying amounts of time this season. 

With that in mind, we scoured the league to try to find players that the Lions could trade for. We found five candidates. Here's who they are and what the Lions would likely have to give up for them. 

Edge DJ Wonnum

Wonnum is actually a guy that I felt the Lions should have been in on during last year's free agency period. He was solid for the Vikings for four years as the starting edge opposite Danielle Hunter. 

He wound up signing with the Panthers and had an ok year, but was hurt. The Panthers could look to part with him since he doesn't have much of a dead cap hit, and they just drafted Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielan. He works best when he has a strong edge opposite him, and Aiden Hutchinson is that. 

Lions get: DJ Wonnum
Panthers get: 2026 6th-round pick

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DL Shelby Harris

A veteran defensive lineman here. He's on the older side of things at 33 years old, but he's still a good run stuffer who can rotate in and help mitigate the absences of McNeill, Onwuzurike, and Wingo. 

You're not getting a ton of pass rusher here, though. Harris is more of a DJ Reader type who can eat space and help the guys around him get home. There's nothing wrong with having that. 

Lions get: Shelby Harris
Browns get: 2026 conditional 7th-round pick (The condition would be that he makes the roster; if not, the trade is void.)

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Edge Clelin Ferrell

The former fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has never lived up to where he was drafted, but that does not mean he's been a bad player; he just hasn't been a great player. 

He can be a rotational edge who can be a great fit to maneuver in and out with Marcus Davenport and Ahmed Hassanein. He can get pressure, and he can even play a little in coverage if you really need him to. If you're looking for him to be a usual starter opposite Hutchinson, you might not be happy.

Lions get: Clelin Ferrell
Commanders get: 2026 6th-round pick

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DL Benito Jones

You remember this guy, right? Jones spent two seasons with the Lions in 2022 and 2023. He proved to be a decent run stuffer and space eater. He can rotate in with DJ Reader if the Lions needed him too. 

Jones was recommended by Dolphins reporter Kyle Crabbs as a guy who could help. He's the one guy I'm not totally sure of because I think Reader, Roy Lopez, and rookie Tyleik Williams can do what he can do better. But if it's super cheap, why not? 

Lions get: Benito Jones
Dolphins get: 2026 condition, 7th-round pick. (Like Harris, the condition is that he makes the 53-man roster."

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Edge John Franklin-Myers

Here's the semi-blockbuster swing I was talking about in the headline. Franklin-Myers is a pretty good edge rusher who is currently looking for a new deal and hasn't gotten it yet. He's at the ominous tweet level of his wait now.

If he's looking to get out of Denver and the Broncos are looking to move him, the Lions would be a great fit for him. This guy brings the pressure that Detroit needs. He's had 50 or more pressures in each of his last five seasons. He's getting home too. He had eight sacks last year. 

The thing that may give the Lions some pause is that he is looking for that new deal. The deal won't reach the heights of what some of the premier edge rushers are getting, but he could get somewhere in the market of three years for $42 million. That would give him something like $14 million a year. Can the Lions pay that and still sign all their other guys to extensions? Yes, if maneuvered correctly. Do they want to, though? 

Lions get: John Franklin-Myers
Broncos get: 2026 4th-round pick

The undrafted Lions edge rusher that everyone keeps talking about, including Dan Campbell

I get it, the Detroit Lions defensive line has some injuries, and now the sky has fallen so hard and so far that everyone is bumping their heads on it. I'm not going to lie, I think the Lions made some mistakes by thinking everything would be ok there this offseason, but I do not […]