Will Detroit Lions Ever Be Ultra-Aggressive at Trade Deadline?

Dan Campbell addressed the "F them picks" mentality of some NFL teams.

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and team president/CEO Rod Wood talk | Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Detroit Lions have a measured approach in how they address player acquisition.

Despite obvious needs, the team did not execute a trade at the deadline. The team's most obvious area of need was along the offensive line.

Speaking before practice, head coach Dan Campbell addressed if general manager Brad Holmes brought him anything interesting prior to the deadline.

"Yea, there were things that popped up," said Campbell. "There was, you know, it was really after I talked to you guys, then we started getting some -- there were some things here and there. But it was just, there was nothing that I would say was enough to be noteworthy. It was certainly more intriguing, but it wasn't good enough. So, all good, all good. Man, we're ready to roll."

Part of what made the Los Angeles Rams successful was being able to navigate the trade deadline.

Holmes learned under Rams general manager Les Snead, who was willing to forego draft picks to acquire impactful players.

Campbell was asked by Lions OnSI if Holmes would ever consider taking an uber-aggressive approach at the deadline.

"If everything about it was right, you know, when you start talking like that, like throw all the picks away, that's a lot," said Campbell. "It's a lot of capital, especially with the guys that we've got that we're signing. We want to continue to sign to keep what we have intact. Now, you're not only throwing the picks, you've also got to pay that player too. Otherwise, why are you throwing all the picks at the guy for that? You're buying him for a year. So then it really, kind of everything that we plan for, you just might as well throw it in the trash, you know? So I don't want to say never. There's not a never."

There have been previous conversations about being more aggressive, but the team has reverted to how they conduct their business, trusting in the coaching and development of the players already on the roster and on the practice squad.

"Brad and I have had conversations about this," said Campbell. "It isn't like we just say, 'No, no, we're not even going to talk about that.' Man, we talk about everything we do. We sit there, and I mean, we've thought about that before. What if we did this? This and this? These conversations come up. But he and I both agree that this is how we proceed, man. This is how we go about our business. And we have a long-term approach. But I'll never say never."