3 Players Lions Could Deal at NFL Trade Deadline
The Tuesday, November 2, NFL trade deadline (4 p.m. EST) is right around the corner, and the Lions, with an 0-7 record, are expected to be sellers.
This is the case, although Detroit head coach Dan Campbell told reporters earlier this week that he's not ultra concerned about what the franchise will do at the deadline.
"If I’m being honest, I’m not even thinking about (the trade deadline)," Campbell said. "Brad’s always like, he’s always thinking and looking. 'What can we do? How can we upgrade? Is this a smart move? Is it not?' And if it’s something he feels like is value, he’ll bring it to me and we talk about it."
With that said, here are three players the organization could deal leading into the Nov. 2 deadline.
S Tracy Walker
Walker's been one of the best-performing safeties in the NFL in 2021.
The fourth-year pro has consistently graded out as one of Pro Football Focus' highest-graded safeties through the first seven weeks of the season, and he'll play the rest of this campaign at the age of 26.
He's still in the prime of his career, and might never have higher trade value than he does now.
If I were Detroit general manager Brad Holmes and were offered a third-rounder and a late-round draft pick for Walker, I'd be pulling the trigger and shipping him out of town.
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OLB Trey Flowers
Flowers had a productive first season in Detroit in 2019, with seven sacks. But, since then, he's largely been a disappointment.
Since the start of the 2020 campaign, he's played in just 12 games (has already missed two contests this year), and has logged just 3.5 sacks.
If I were Holmes, I'd be looking to deal the highly-priced veteran -- who has two years remaining on the five-year, $90 million contract that he signed in '19 -- for anything from a third-rounder on.
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DL Nick Williams
Williams is on an expiring contract, and might soon be the odd man out on a defensive line that also includes first-year pros Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, plus second-year pro Jashon Cornell, who suited up for his first career NFL game a week ago against the L.A. Rams.
Williams has seen his defensive snap-count percentage dip the past two weeks to season-low marks of 50 percent and 57 percent, respectively.
And, that percentage might continue to decrease, if he remains a part of the team moving forward.
It makes Williams a prime candidate to be dealt by Holmes & Co. before the deadline.
