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Niyo: Lions’ trade deadline statement: We’re good
John Niyo
The Detroit News
Allen Park — They bought, but didn’t splurge. And after the Lions were done shopping at the NFL trade deadline, well aware they’d been outspent by some of their NFC rivals in the playoff chase, Dan Campbell had a simple retort.
“Good for them,” he shrugged.
That was the Lions’ stance as they headed into their bye week, and whether you agree with it or not, they sure seem comfortable with who they are and what they’ve got. And not just where they stand, but also where they’re headed.
While San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle loaded up on defense ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, adding former Pro Bowlers to bolster their Super Bowl hopes, Detroit made only a minor deal, acquiring receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
And though general manager Brad Holmes was busy making and taking calls about other trade possibilities in recent days — “Trust me, he did his work,” Campbell said — nothing else came together. No help for a secondary that already has lost two projected starters in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley. Not another pass rusher to help Aidan Hutchinson and a defensive front seven that’s finally starting to bare its teeth.
The Lions didn’t stand pat, per se, but they are staying the course.
“Brad and I said from Day 1, we have a plan in place that we don't want to alter,” Campbell said. “We don't want to mess with that. And we're in Year 3 of this right now, the beginning of Year 3. Everything had to be right. I just go back to it had to be the right player, it had to be the right fit, and it had to be the right price. All three of those. And that's not an easy thing to do. That's how we look at it.”
Sitting pretty?
As for the rest of us? Well, they should know this sort of unrest is part of the deal now that the Lions aren’t just a playoff hopeful but a virtual lock to make the postseason, barring some catastrophic injuries.
They’re an overwhelming favorite to win the NFC North, with the Vikings (4-4) pinning their hopes on newly-acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs — a guy who was on the Lions’ practice squad last December — after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday’s win at Green Bay.
Beyond that, the Lions have a legitimate shot at earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They own the second-best record in the NFC at 6-2 overall, sitting a game behind the Eagles and a half-game ahead of the Seahawks. But Campbell’s team also has arguably the easiest remaining schedule of the top NFC contenders. Five of their final nine games are against division opponents, and just one team left on their schedule (Dallas) currently has a winning record.
All of which adds to the argument some of us were making for the Lions to take a more aggressive approach at the deadline. Something like what San Francisco did Tuesday in sending a third-round pick to Washington for defensive end Chase Young. Or what Seattle did Monday in trading away second- and fifth-round picks to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Or what Philadelphia did last week in dealing a player and two Day 3 picks to Tennessee to add safety Kevin Byard.
The Lions had an extra third-round pick in 2024 to barter with, and I still think they may end up regretting not adding a cornerback here, if only for insurance purposes.
But Young and Williams are both in contract years, making them either costly rentals or major salary-cap expenses moving forward for the 49ers and Seahawks. Ditto the other high-profile pass rusher that Washington moved at the deadline, trading Montez Sweat to the rebuilding Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. So keep that in mind as well.
The Lions have a talented young roster and a championship window that’s just beginning to open here, but they also have cap considerations that surely played a factor here. If all goes well, there’ll be new extensions coming before too long for the likes of Jared Goff and Jonah Jackson, as well as the core of Holmes’ initial 2021 draft class in Detroit.
“Every team has a different plight and every team is in a different place, a different phase with their team building,” Holmes said Tuesday. “But there's nothing that we leave un-turned or ignored or anything. We look at every position, we look at everything.”
Receiving reinforcements
Not everything is what it seems, either, which probably helps explain why only eight trades materialized Tuesday despite all the rumors that’ve been flying around for weeks.
“You know, a lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media and they are names,” Holmes said. “But often it’s just not reality. Those same names that you see pop up, you start getting into conversations and it just doesn't work out.”
The one that did for Detroit was born of necessity, really. The abrupt departure of veteran receiver Marvin Jones Jr. two weeks ago left a hole in the Lions’ roster that Holmes and Campbell felt more comfortable filling from outside right now.
And in Peoples-Jones, the fourth-year pro out of Michigan, they feel like they’ve found another versatile, big-bodied wideout to complement the quartet of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond. The former Detroit Cass Tech star, who also adds some return ability, was coming off a career-best season for the Browns in 2022 (61 catches, 839 yards), but he had just eight receptions for 97 yards through seven games this year.
“I think you always feel like you’re one injury away and that was a position that we felt like if we can find a steady, reliable guy that fits us, that can play outside, that was something that we wanted to look and see if we can acquire,” Campbell said. “And DPJ we felt like really fit us.”
The fit, of course, is something both Holmes and Campbell have continually stressed since they arrived in Detroit in early 2021. And it’s not just lip service when Campbell says, “We’re not going to mess with the vibe of this team." Or when his GM reiterated Tuesday, “That’s every single move we make.”
So, about those moves the other NFC teams made? Good for them.
And as for how Campbell feels his team matches up with them?
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I feel really good.”
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
Twitter/X: @JohnNiyo
John Niyo
The Detroit News
Allen Park — They bought, but didn’t splurge. And after the Lions were done shopping at the NFL trade deadline, well aware they’d been outspent by some of their NFC rivals in the playoff chase, Dan Campbell had a simple retort.
“Good for them,” he shrugged.
That was the Lions’ stance as they headed into their bye week, and whether you agree with it or not, they sure seem comfortable with who they are and what they’ve got. And not just where they stand, but also where they’re headed.
While San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle loaded up on defense ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, adding former Pro Bowlers to bolster their Super Bowl hopes, Detroit made only a minor deal, acquiring receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
And though general manager Brad Holmes was busy making and taking calls about other trade possibilities in recent days — “Trust me, he did his work,” Campbell said — nothing else came together. No help for a secondary that already has lost two projected starters in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley. Not another pass rusher to help Aidan Hutchinson and a defensive front seven that’s finally starting to bare its teeth.
The Lions didn’t stand pat, per se, but they are staying the course.
“Brad and I said from Day 1, we have a plan in place that we don't want to alter,” Campbell said. “We don't want to mess with that. And we're in Year 3 of this right now, the beginning of Year 3. Everything had to be right. I just go back to it had to be the right player, it had to be the right fit, and it had to be the right price. All three of those. And that's not an easy thing to do. That's how we look at it.”
Sitting pretty?
As for the rest of us? Well, they should know this sort of unrest is part of the deal now that the Lions aren’t just a playoff hopeful but a virtual lock to make the postseason, barring some catastrophic injuries.
They’re an overwhelming favorite to win the NFC North, with the Vikings (4-4) pinning their hopes on newly-acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs — a guy who was on the Lions’ practice squad last December — after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday’s win at Green Bay.
Beyond that, the Lions have a legitimate shot at earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They own the second-best record in the NFC at 6-2 overall, sitting a game behind the Eagles and a half-game ahead of the Seahawks. But Campbell’s team also has arguably the easiest remaining schedule of the top NFC contenders. Five of their final nine games are against division opponents, and just one team left on their schedule (Dallas) currently has a winning record.
All of which adds to the argument some of us were making for the Lions to take a more aggressive approach at the deadline. Something like what San Francisco did Tuesday in sending a third-round pick to Washington for defensive end Chase Young. Or what Seattle did Monday in trading away second- and fifth-round picks to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Leonard Williams. Or what Philadelphia did last week in dealing a player and two Day 3 picks to Tennessee to add safety Kevin Byard.
The Lions had an extra third-round pick in 2024 to barter with, and I still think they may end up regretting not adding a cornerback here, if only for insurance purposes.
But Young and Williams are both in contract years, making them either costly rentals or major salary-cap expenses moving forward for the 49ers and Seahawks. Ditto the other high-profile pass rusher that Washington moved at the deadline, trading Montez Sweat to the rebuilding Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. So keep that in mind as well.
The Lions have a talented young roster and a championship window that’s just beginning to open here, but they also have cap considerations that surely played a factor here. If all goes well, there’ll be new extensions coming before too long for the likes of Jared Goff and Jonah Jackson, as well as the core of Holmes’ initial 2021 draft class in Detroit.
“Every team has a different plight and every team is in a different place, a different phase with their team building,” Holmes said Tuesday. “But there's nothing that we leave un-turned or ignored or anything. We look at every position, we look at everything.”
Receiving reinforcements
Not everything is what it seems, either, which probably helps explain why only eight trades materialized Tuesday despite all the rumors that’ve been flying around for weeks.
“You know, a lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media and they are names,” Holmes said. “But often it’s just not reality. Those same names that you see pop up, you start getting into conversations and it just doesn't work out.”
The one that did for Detroit was born of necessity, really. The abrupt departure of veteran receiver Marvin Jones Jr. two weeks ago left a hole in the Lions’ roster that Holmes and Campbell felt more comfortable filling from outside right now.
And in Peoples-Jones, the fourth-year pro out of Michigan, they feel like they’ve found another versatile, big-bodied wideout to complement the quartet of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond. The former Detroit Cass Tech star, who also adds some return ability, was coming off a career-best season for the Browns in 2022 (61 catches, 839 yards), but he had just eight receptions for 97 yards through seven games this year.
“I think you always feel like you’re one injury away and that was a position that we felt like if we can find a steady, reliable guy that fits us, that can play outside, that was something that we wanted to look and see if we can acquire,” Campbell said. “And DPJ we felt like really fit us.”
The fit, of course, is something both Holmes and Campbell have continually stressed since they arrived in Detroit in early 2021. And it’s not just lip service when Campbell says, “We’re not going to mess with the vibe of this team." Or when his GM reiterated Tuesday, “That’s every single move we make.”
So, about those moves the other NFC teams made? Good for them.
And as for how Campbell feels his team matches up with them?
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I feel really good.”
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
Twitter/X: @JohnNiyo
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