Lions cornerback trade: 3 teams Brad Holmes should call Monday morning, including one big swing
Detroit can’t keep waiting for its secondary to fix itself. Two winless teams have corners worth asking about right now, and a third call could land a legitimate long-term solution.
The Detroit Lions need cornerback help. There’s no doubt about it. You know it, I know it, and the Lions know it. Something has to happen at corner before the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 10.
Detroit has a little over a month to get it done. The big question is whether teams are willing to sell this early. Some front offices might want to wait a few more weeks to see what they have.
Here’s the thing, though. I think there are two teams you can call right now. If I’m Lions GM Brad Holmes, I’m on the phone with both of them this morning. I’d also make a third call that would cost a little more.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay is about as dead in the water as a team can be right now. You think the Lions have problems? The Buccaneers are 0-4, and they don’t look like they’re improving at all.
I could see Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles losing his job, maybe even in the middle of the season. This team could be looking at something close to a full teardown and rebuild.
If I’m Detroit, I’m asking what it takes to get CB Zyon McCollum. He can come in and be the No. 1 cornerback for this team right now. The Buccaneers have been bad, but McCollum has played fairly well. At the very least, he’s better than what the Lions have.
He’s 27 years old, and you’d have him under contract for two more seasons after this one. I think a fourth-round pick gets it done. Tampa might want a third. At this point, you’re desperate enough that I’d do that too. You have to do something.
The Los Angeles Chargers
My first ask to the Chargers would be Cam Hart. Los Angeles isn’t letting Tarheeb Still go. He’s the team’s No. 1 corner, and it’s not happening.
Hart is probably the No. 2 guy, and I was high on him coming out in the 2024 NFL Draft. He impressed at Notre Dame, he impressed again at the Senior Bowl, and I thought he had a good NFL Combine. It just made a lot of sense. He went to the Chargers in the fifth round, and he’s been a pretty decent player for them.
He’s not a full-time starter yet. Still, I think you could offer a fifth-round pick and get him to Detroit. He’s 25 years old, and I think he could absolutely be a starter for the Lions. He can cover, and he’s a good run defender. That’s what Detroit wants. More importantly, he’s not a rental. You’d have him through next season.
If you do want a rental, the Chargers have Donte Jackson. He’s 30 years old and has been in the league for a while, with stops in Carolina and Pittsburgh before Los Angeles. He’s not a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro, but you’re going to have a hard time finding one of those guys right now anyway.
At this point, the Lions need more than one cornerback. Trade for him now, then go get a bigger fish later if one becomes available. A fifth- or sixth-round pick should get it done, and he could start right away.
The problem is that Jackson left Sunday’s game against the Seahawks with a hamstring injury. I don’t know how serious it is, so that’s something to consider.
The Chargers might be a little less dead in the water than the Buccaneers. But I’d still call both teams and see what they’re willing to do, if anything.
The big swing: Kamari Lassiter
If you want to take a real shot, I’d call the Houston Texans. This one is going to cost a pretty penny. I’m thinking a third-round pick.
The question I’d ask is simple: What do you want for Kamari Lassiter? He’s been good for Houston, but the Texans are 0-4 and need help.
He’s been fine this season. He had a rough Week 4 game against Dallas with three penalties. I know Lions fans hate penalties. But right now, Detroit needs somebody who can cover more than it needs to worry about flags.
Lassiter is a former second-round pick, and he’s 23 years old. He turns 24 soon. You’d have him through next season, and he’d still be young enough to extend and build around. This is somebody you can grow with and build a future around.
Houston might want a second-round pick. I think a third gets it done, or maybe a third and a sixth. I think you can pry him away.
Those are the three teams I’d be on the phone with Monday morning. We’ll see if Holmes feels the same way.
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