The Detroit Lions are heading into a huge Week 4 matchup against the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL: the Cleveland Browns. To give you an idea of the seriousness of this opponent, just look at Fox Sports’ latest rankings of the defenses in the NFL. The Browns are No. 1, followed by the Falcons and Packers. The Detroit Lions, however, are No. 14.
Looking at the Fox Sports piece, the Lions are behind the Vikings, too, but above the Bears when it comes to their defense. One thing that would really help the Lions is getting another veteran edge rusher to help bolster their defense and also help Aidan Hutchinson so it’s not all on him.
Now, with the Lions off to a great start, especially after their win over the Baltimore Ravens during Monday Night Football on September 22 in a dazzling a 38-30 victory, they’re getting pressure to do a massive trade. This trade would basically have them bet the house on getting one of the best edge rusher in the league. This is a name that was brought up a lot during the offseason, and even though he ended up singing to his team, some think that he’d be worth a blockbuster trade to Detroit.
Detroit Lions Should Trade for Star Edge Rusher, NFL Reporter Says
The Cincinnati Bengals will be without their franchise quarterback Joe Burrow for a while, so they could be looking to do a trade before the November deadline. Their top trade target, of course, is Trey Hendrickson. The Lions could capitalize on this moment and do a massive trade to bring him to Detroit. Hendrickson has amassed 79 sacks and snagged first-team All-Pro honors in 2024, so he’s at the top of his game.
In a Friday, September 26 piece, Nick Halden of Detroit Jock City says that “no potential pass rusher on the trade or free agent market has more impact than Hendrickson.”
“Hendrickson brings a motor that refuses to quit, making him a great fit for head coach Dan Campbell, who loves hard workers,” Halden notes. “The Bengals’ defense is among the worst in the NFL, but none of that lack of success is on the 30-year-old stud. It wouldn’t be unfathomable to imagine his production increasing by joining a contender like the Lions.”
Of course, this would come with some problems. The main one is that the Lions have to secure Hutchinson with a new contract, so that’s the priority, much more so than trading for Hendrickson.
“Finding a way to keep your offense together while paying two edge rushers is going to be incredibly difficult, and GM Holmes might not want to blow up his draft capital on an uncertain target,” Halden notes.
Detroit Lions Coach Dan Campbell Talks Brown Matchup
During an appearance on 97.1 the Ticket on Wednesday, September 24, Campbell talked about the Browns. Of course, he highlighted their strong defense.
“You see what they did to Green Bay. This defense is for real,” Campbell said, our favorite Metallica fan. “This will probably be the best defense we’ve faced to date.”
Considering that the Lions’ defense is ranked so far below the Browns’ defense, that’s a troubling sign. But, this team is a dream team, so the Lions could absolutely pull this win off.