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After their impressive 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 7, the Detroit Lions are second in the NFC North with a 5-2 record. The Lions are playing well and are widely regarded as one of the best teams in the conference, but that doesn’t mean Detroit will rest on its laurels with the NFL’s trade deadline approaching. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports thinks the Lions will still add another pass rusher, and he has his eye on one guy specifically. “One name I could absolutely see getting dealt is edge rusher Arden Key,” Jones wrote on October 20. “I’m keeping an eye on the Lions and 49ers. Detroit had strong interest in Key in the pre-draft process, and the Niners had Key in 2021.” More on Key’s Time in the NFL So Far A third-round pick for the Raiders in 2018, Key had a forgettable first three seasons before he flashed as a situational rusher in San Francisco with 6.5 sacks in 2021, then helped fuel the Jaguars‘ playoff run the next year with 4.5 more. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, and finished with 6.0 sacks in his first season as a Titan and followed it up by tying his career-high with 6.5 more and 38 pressures in 2024 as a full-time starter. So far this season, Key has logged 1.5 sacks before a quadriceps injury sidelined him. He’s missed a couple of games, and Tennessee is being cautious, but there’s no indication it’s a season-ending issue. Pairing Key with Aidan Hutchinson is an intriguing idea, to be sure. Hutchinson is going to command most of the attention — that’s not changing. What Detroit hasn’t had is someone who can consistently punish the one-on-ones that come with it. Key has made a career of doing exactly that, and he’s great at bending the edge with length and explosion. He doesn’t need to be the guy — he just needs to be a pest. He can do that. His presence alone would shift how opponents game plan for the Lions front. What Might a Trade for Edge Arden Key Cost the Detroit Lions? Key is in the final year of the three-year, $21 million deal he inked with the Titans. He has a cap hit just under $9.3 million this season, which wouldn’t be crippling for Detroit to take on. The Titans are sliding out of contention at 1-6 and listening on veterans. According to insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Tennessee is “open for business” and willing to trade any player not named Jeffery Simmons or Cam Ward. Key is 29, relatively productive and likely to hit free agency in March. The Lions could add him for help this year, and if he plays well, he could stick around. If not, he can easily move on. The trade itself likely wouldn’t be complicated. We think something like a 2026 fifth-round pick that bumps to a fourth if Key hits playing time or sack incentives might do it. That’s a modest price for Key’s services, and it might behoove Lions GM Brad Holmes to see if he can get a deal done.
