Dan Campbell just gave Lions fans two big reasons to feel better about the secondary
Campbell confirmed Brad Holmes had been working on a Porter trade for some time, then delivered the most encouraging Brian Branch update Detroit has received in months.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell just wrapped up his Friday press conference, and two big things came out of it. Both of them matter a lot for the Lions’ secondary, and both of them should change how you feel about this week.
The first one is the one nobody saw coming. Campbell confirmed the Lions were “very much in on” trading for Joey Porter Jr. He added that general manager Brad Holmes had been working on it for a while and that Detroit was trying to get the deal done.
The Lions are not out of the trade market
You have to understand how rare this is. The Lions don’t usually do this. Campbell has never really been that forward or that open about Detroit trying to trade for a player and not getting him.
Ultimately, as we know, it didn’t happen. The Dallas Cowboys came in, the Cowboys offered what they offered, and here we are.
So what happens now? I know everybody wants to know if the Lions are still going to be looking to make a trade. Here’s what Campbell said:
“Just like any year, man, it’s nonstop. Like, Brad’s constantly looking to upgrade this roster at every position. If we can find somebody that we feel like fits us and can help us, you know, and the value’s right, we will.”
It’s kind of like what we said the night that the trade went down, Wednesday night. This was not the only trade that was ever possible in this entire world. The trade deadline is like a month away at this point. A lot of things happen. It may seem right now like nobody’s available, and maybe nobody is available today, but as things change. And by the time we get to the trade deadline, there’s going to be teams that are closer to rebuilds than they realized it when the season started.
They’re going to be looking to save some money, shut things down, kind of, you know, begin their tank for what is expected to be the biggest quarterback draft that we have seen in a very long time. So teams are going to start moving towards that direction and looking to rebuild completely. I think you’re going to see more rebuild-like teams than you’ve seen in a very long time.
That’s a coach telling you the phones are still on. Detroit wanted a cornerback badly enough to go public about missing on one. That kind of need doesn’t go away just because one deal fell apart.
So yes, I still think the Lions will make a trade. I don’t know what it’s going to be, and I don’t know who it’s going to be for. But I do believe they’ll go out and find themselves a starting cornerback this year. I could see it happening within the next few weeks, maybe even during the bye. I would keep an eye on everything going on around the league during that bye week.
Brian Branch is getting close
The other huge thing is the one Lions fans have been on pins and needles waiting for. Campbell finally gave a real update on safety Brian Branch.
“He’s close. Yep. He’s close. He’s ready to go. I’m tired of listening to him. I mean that in a good way. Love that kid, man. He’s put in a ton of work, and he looks really good. He’s close,” Campbell said.
There it is. Branch is close to returning. We don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen. You would think it’s probably going to be next week, after Detroit plays the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night, and maybe Branch is back at practice Wednesday. That’s something to monitor.
The good thing is the Lions could soon have their guy back. When he returns, he’s going to make a gigantic difference in what this secondary looks like.
Why Lions fans should feel good right now
Look, I get it. Missing on a player you clearly wanted stings. But I think there’s real reason for optimism coming out of this press conference.
Detroit didn’t get the guy it wanted this week. That being said, there are still going to be a lot of guys available as the deadline gets closer, and the Lions are going to stay active. On top of that, they’re going to get Branch back soon. Add a starting cornerback to that, and the secondary looks a lot different than it does today.
There are reasons to feel good. If I were you, I’d feel good right now. We’ll see what happens.
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