Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
3 Lions That Could Be Traded
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In the aftermath of the Lions trading away safety Quandre Diggs Tuesday to the Seattle Seahawks, questions have arisen as to what direction Detroit general manager Bob Quinn is taking the team.
Maybe, just maybe, Quinn isn't done dealing yet.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I would have thought the Lions would only be looking to add to their roster.
After the Diggs trade, though, that obviously doesn't appear to be the case.
I'm not inferring that the Lions are going to be "sellers' at the Oct. 29 trade deadline. However, if the deal is right for Quinn & Co., you can't count out the possibility of the Lions selling off further pieces.
With that being said, here are three additional Lions that could be dealt in a surprising trade before the deadline:
LB Jarrad Davis
The Lions' coaching staff insists they are content with Davis as their leader in the middle.
Unfortunately, Davis has not played well in Lions head man Matt Patricia's defense.
Remember, Quinn drafted Davis as a middle linebacker for former defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's 4-3 scheme.
Davis has been a plus in the pass-rushing department in limited opportunities.
Outside of that, though, he has struggled in coverage, gets pushed around in the run game and continues to take questionable angles in pursuit of ball carriers.
Patricia's scheme is dependent on gap control.
It's not difficult to find Davis over running plays or being pushed out of position on film.
And the Lions aren't afraid to move on from players that don't fit the mold.
The ability and athleticism are there for Davis, but he just can't seem to put it all together.
According to Pro Football Focus, he has an overall grade of 35.3 -- the third-worst off-ball linebacker grade in the NFL this season (among LBs that have taken at least 20 percent of team's snaps).
There could be another team out there that values Davis' skill set more.
Rookie linebacker Jahlani Tavai was selected in the second round this year, and has outplayed Davis when his name has been called.
Tavai is a little bit more limited covering running backs and tight ends, but can't perform much worse than how Davis has so far.
RT Rick Wagner
Wagner came to Detroit in 2017 on a five-year, $47.5 million deal.
The first two years of his contract were cap friendly, as he only accounted for a $5.9 million cap hit in each of those seasons.
From 2019 on, though, he will take up $11.9 million annually against the cap. That's a pretty hefty contract for a slightly above average right tackle.
Starting tackles are hard to come by in the NFL.
Despite what many fans think about Wagner, he is still very serviceable.
If there is a team out there looking for tackle help, Wagner could be a good option.
The Lions would still be on the hook for his remaining signing bonus, which would lighten Wagner's cap hit to $9 million a year for his new team.
The swing tackle for the Lions is Tyrell Crosby, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 draft out of Oregon.
It's fair to say he has been very hot and cold over his career. However, the Lions could manage with Crosby on the right side, if they wanted to add a draft pick and some future salary cap relief in a trade for Wagner.
Looking even further down the line, dealing Wagner would also allow Detroit to move left tackle Taylor Decker to the right side. Then, the Lions could go out and make an upgrade at LT in the offseason.
Decker has been very average, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Lions could look elsewhere at the position.
G Graham Glasgow
Glasgow is a player I wish the Lions would just give an extension to already.
In the last year of his rookie deal, Glasgow has arguably been the Lions' best lineman.
For whatever reason, Glasgow still hasn't been a full-time player.
Instead, every week so far this season, he has seen some of his snaps be given to the inferior Kenny Wiggins.
It really makes no sense.
If the Lions are comfortable enough with Wiggins continuing in the unorthodox guard rotation, who's to say the Lions wouldn't be comfortable with Wiggins being a starter the remainder of the season?
Again, not saying that I agree with the decision.
It's a bit concerning that the Lions have not come to an agreement on a new contract with Glasgow.
The Lions inked fellow guard Joe Dahl to an extension this past offseason. But still nothing for Glasgow.
Quinn is facing a similar predicament with defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson, who's also in a contract year.
If Quinn thinks the two sides are too far apart in contract negotiations, maybe it's best to just get something in return for Glasgow and Robinson.
Let's hope it doesn't come down to that for either veteran lineman, though.
