Lions fans want Brad Holmes to make a blockbuster trade. There’s one huge problem nobody can fix
Chicago’s Jeffery Simmons blockbuster has Lions fans asking why Detroit hasn’t made its own huge move. A team-by-team look at the cornerback market shows why Brad Holmes’ problem isn’t necessarily willingness — it’s availability.
Detroit Lions fans are crashing out right now. The Chicago Bears traded for Jeffery Simmons, and social media has been a rough place for anyone who roots for the Lions. That’s a big move. There’s no doubt about it.
You also can’t tell a fan base that teams making these deals don’t succeed more often than not. Lions fans are watching the Rams do everything they wanted Detroit to do, and the Rams are plummeting from the inside. That still doesn’t convince anyone that blockbuster trades aren’t the only way to win a Super Bowl.
Here’s the real point. Detroit only needs one thing at the trade deadline, and it’s cornerback. The problem is that cornerback is the one position almost nobody is trading right now.
Why contenders aren’t selling cornerbacks
I put together a cheat sheet of the other 31 teams and their starting cornerbacks. I looked at why each team probably wouldn’t trade its guys and why a few of them might.
| 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 word that keeps popping up is “contenders.” The Bengals, Jaguars, Patriots, 49ers, and Seahawks are all contenders. The Rams believe they’re contenders. That’s your first problem. A lot of teams with good cornerbacks are in first place in their division or sitting on a winning record. They think they can make the playoffs and win it all. Why would they trade away a great player?
Simmons didn’t come from a great team. He came from one of the worst teams in football. Those are the teams Detroit needs to focus on, and even some of those teams have no reason to sell.
Everybody keeps bringing up the Chargers. Fans want cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart. I’ve written about why both would be great for the Lions, and I’ll say again what I said in those articles. Los Angeles has no reason to trade them. They’re 24 and 25 years old, young players you can build a defense around. [[FLAG]]Multiple times in recent weeks, word has surfaced that the Chargers don’t want to make any trades and plan to stand pat, even at 0-6.[[/FLAG]] I get it. It’s stupid.
Then there’s Zyon McCollum. The Buccaneers only have two wins, but they’re still very much in the NFC South race. Our Bucs beat writer Evan Winter has said time and again that Tampa Bay doesn’t want to trade him. The Bucs like him, they have him signed for two more years, and he’s playing some of the best football of his career.
The Saints aren’t playing well, but why would they give up Kool-Aid McKinstry? He’s a young cornerback playing well. The Texans aren’t where they want to be either, yet Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter are two pillars of that defense. I’ve brought up Lassiter before as the one giant swing Detroit could take, and by that I mean making a phone call.
Denver is another one. Patrick Surtain, Riley Moss, and Jahdae Barron are all there. Maybe Moss or Barron would be available if the Broncos weren’t 5-2 and contending.
Where the Lions could actually find a cornerback
There are a few situations where a guy could shake loose. The very top of the list is Riq Woolen from the Eagles. That depends on whether Philadelphia wants to move him, and maybe it does. That’s Detroit’s best chance at a big name.
If you’re asking me today, the move I believe in most is the Colts and Charvarius Ward. You can get him for a fifth- or sixth-round pick. That’s a veteran starting cornerback, and I would expect the Lions to make that move.
Some fans keep bringing up Sauce Gardner, which is strange. A week ago, I thought we all agreed he wasn’t the right path for Detroit. I’ve been told the Colts aren’t interested in trading him at all. If Indianapolis did, it would want essentially the same package it just gave up for him. The Colts don’t care if people on Twitter, a beat writer like me, or anyone else thinks they should take less. They could get the offers. They aren’t taking them.
Brandon Stephens from the Jets is one to possibly watch. Beyond that, there isn’t much out there.
This isn’t on Brad Holmes
Lions fans need to hear this. You’re not getting your blockbuster deal this year, and it’s not because general manager Brad Holmes is sitting on his hands.
He tried. Detroit was working to get a deal done with Pittsburgh for Joey Porter Jr. and got outbid. It’s as simple as that. Multiple teams were in on him, so the Lions didn’t fumble anything. Dallas did what Dallas does and offered a ridiculous amount for a player it probably didn’t need.
People want to call that a disaster for Detroit. Porter has already missed games for the Cowboys, and Dallas is still a bad football team. The Cowboys win trades, but it never really helps them in the end.
I absolutely believe the Lions will make trades, plural, this season. One will be a cornerback. Another will be at a different position. None of them will be blockbusters. Sorry to tell you, but it’s just not happening.
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