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Lions make no apologies for quiet trade deadline, committed to building roster their own way
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell.jpg
By Colton Pouncy
6h ago
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, the two men tasked with turning around this Detroit Lions franchise, have a habit of telling you exactly how they feel amid a sport mired in paranoia.
There are few gimmicks, few smokescreens, few misdirections with this duo. Their actions in key decision-making periods typically reflect their comments previewing them, so long as you’re paying attention.
So perhaps it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to see the Lions betting on themselves, holding onto assets and largely standing pat at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
“Brad and I said from Day 1, man, we have a plan in place that we don’t want to alter,” Campbell said Tuesday. “We don’t want to mess with that and we’re in Year 3 of this right now. … 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. That’s not an easy thing to do, but that’s how we look at it.”
The 2023 deadline came and went, and the Lions were relatively quiet. They sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones — an athletic X receiver from Detroit who played college ball at Michigan. The 24-year-old wideout should serve as depth, and it’s a reasonable move at a low price. But also one that doesn’t move the needle compared to deals made by other prominent teams in the conference.
The Philadelphia Eagles, 7-1 and atop the NFC, kicked things off last week, trading for former Tennessee Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. They sent fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2024, as well as safety Terrell Edmunds, for Byard’s services. He made his Eagles debut Sunday, and should only strengthen the reigning NFC champs.
The Seattle Seahawks, 5-2 and first in the NFC West, have been a thorn in Detroit’s side. A head-to-head win over the Lions last year kept Detroit out of the playoffs, and the Seahawks defeated the Lions again this season. They got even better after trading a 2024 second-rounder and a 2025 fifth for New York Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who should provide the sort of interior pass rush teams covet.
And then there’s deadline day itself. The 5-3 San Francisco 49ers, one of the most talented teams in the league, added to their impressive collection of star power by trading a 2024 third-round pick for Washington Commanders edge Chase Young, the 2020 No. 2 pick.
That’s three teams the Lions might face in the postseason, adding to their respective rosters and leaving the deadline better on paper.
“Good for them,” Campbell said, matter of fact, when asked for his thoughts.
It’s fascinating sometimes, listening to Holmes and Campbell speak, because they so often find themselves echoing each other’s messages. They’re comfortable revealing their thought process because they’re confident in their approach. The Lions traded for Jared Goff when he was at his lowest in Los Angeles, said they didn’t view him as a bridge and then helped resurrect his career. The Lions said they’d be smart in free agency, rather than going on a risky spending spree, then used their budget to supplement the roster on a discount. Before the draft, Holmes said he was comfortable drafting a running back in the first round, then drafted one in the first round less than two weeks later.
And then there’s this, from Holmes’ 2022 end-of-the-year news conference in January. He was asked if he believed the Lions were one player away. His answer then, as it so often is, was telling.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Holmes said. “I still think we’ve got enough work to do. I wouldn’t put us in the ‘we’re one player away’ bucket. … I don’t even know when that window comes. I don’t even know when that ‘one player away’ window comes, and if it does come, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to still keep trying to get players. But there’s some areas that we’ll look at and address, and we’ll be wise and smart and strategic in how we add.
“But again, we don’t just spend big on getting a high-price guy. It’s got to be the right fit, and it’s got to be the right guy, and if it’s not the right guy then it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks.”
Unbothered. Unfazed. Unapologetic. That’s the mentality the Lions’ brass has. It’s how they’ve always operated and it’s what’s gotten them this far. Two years removed from a 3-13-1 season, the Lions are now 6-2, in first place in the NFC North and slotted in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed through eight games. This, after taking over a roster they had to rebuild from the ground up.
That rebuild largely took place through the draft. They weren’t going to cut corners. They weren’t going to bring in high-priced free agents who don’t fit their culture or timeline. They were going to draft and develop talent who could anchor a winning roster.
Three years in, the Lions have done just that. They’ve added franchise cornerstones like Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson — all playing at a Pro Bowl level — via the draft. It’s where they added key pieces like Derrick Barnes and Kerby Joseph, and potential building blocks like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. It’s Year 3 and every player this regime has selected remains on the roster. That speaks to the commitment the Lions have in seeing this through.
Trading a top-100 pick for Chase Young or Montez Sweat, both free agents in 2024, would not be consistent with the moves we’ve seen from Holmes and Campbell. Their main objective from Day 1 has been building a sustainable winner first and foremost. This is Year 3, but only Year 1 in terms of their window. They’ll need to continue adding through the draft, and have four top-100 picks in 2024. They’ll need to maintain cap flexibility, as they look to re-sign key players who are due for new contracts in the coming years.
Detroit Lions trade for Donovan Peoples-Jones.jpg
It doesn’t mean there won’t come a day when the Lions sacrifice draft capital for game-ready talent. The Lions made calls and did their homework on players — available and unavailable. But right now, at this deadline, there wasn’t a deal out there for them that aligned with their process.
Campbell said Holmes “scoured a ton.”
“I can’t tell you the number of calls that he made,” Campbell said. “I think there are some players that you may not even know about that could be perceived as very good players and maybe the tape’s not there. So, there’s all kinds of things there. But trust me, he did his work and we’re good with where we’re at.”
“We look at every position,” Holmes said. “A lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media, and they are names, but that’s often — it’s not reality. Those same names you see pop up, when you start getting into conversation, it just doesn’t work out the best for us. So, every team has a different plight, every team is in a different place, different direction, different phase in their team building. But no, there’s nothing that we leave unturned or ignored or anything. We look at every position.”
There’s risk involved whenever a team in contention holds firm and others around it get better. It’s easy to look around and compare. And for a Lions team that looks like it’s getting closer, it’s fair to wonder if it’s making the right choice.
But the same decision-makers who chose to stand pat at the deadline are also responsible for getting this first-place team here in the first place. These Lions have proven capable of hanging with some good teams over the past two years. We don’t know how they’ll perform in the postseason, because we haven’t seen this squad on that stage yet.
Perhaps it’s best to let things play out on the field. That’s how the Lions have operated all along.
Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell.jpg
By Colton Pouncy
6h ago
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, the two men tasked with turning around this Detroit Lions franchise, have a habit of telling you exactly how they feel amid a sport mired in paranoia.
There are few gimmicks, few smokescreens, few misdirections with this duo. Their actions in key decision-making periods typically reflect their comments previewing them, so long as you’re paying attention.
So perhaps it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to see the Lions betting on themselves, holding onto assets and largely standing pat at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
“Brad and I said from Day 1, man, we have a plan in place that we don’t want to alter,” Campbell said Tuesday. “We don’t want to mess with that and we’re in Year 3 of this right now. … 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. That’s not an easy thing to do, but that’s how we look at it.”
The 2023 deadline came and went, and the Lions were relatively quiet. They sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones — an athletic X receiver from Detroit who played college ball at Michigan. The 24-year-old wideout should serve as depth, and it’s a reasonable move at a low price. But also one that doesn’t move the needle compared to deals made by other prominent teams in the conference.
The Philadelphia Eagles, 7-1 and atop the NFC, kicked things off last week, trading for former Tennessee Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. They sent fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2024, as well as safety Terrell Edmunds, for Byard’s services. He made his Eagles debut Sunday, and should only strengthen the reigning NFC champs.
The Seattle Seahawks, 5-2 and first in the NFC West, have been a thorn in Detroit’s side. A head-to-head win over the Lions last year kept Detroit out of the playoffs, and the Seahawks defeated the Lions again this season. They got even better after trading a 2024 second-rounder and a 2025 fifth for New York Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who should provide the sort of interior pass rush teams covet.
And then there’s deadline day itself. The 5-3 San Francisco 49ers, one of the most talented teams in the league, added to their impressive collection of star power by trading a 2024 third-round pick for Washington Commanders edge Chase Young, the 2020 No. 2 pick.
That’s three teams the Lions might face in the postseason, adding to their respective rosters and leaving the deadline better on paper.
“Good for them,” Campbell said, matter of fact, when asked for his thoughts.
It’s fascinating sometimes, listening to Holmes and Campbell speak, because they so often find themselves echoing each other’s messages. They’re comfortable revealing their thought process because they’re confident in their approach. The Lions traded for Jared Goff when he was at his lowest in Los Angeles, said they didn’t view him as a bridge and then helped resurrect his career. The Lions said they’d be smart in free agency, rather than going on a risky spending spree, then used their budget to supplement the roster on a discount. Before the draft, Holmes said he was comfortable drafting a running back in the first round, then drafted one in the first round less than two weeks later.
And then there’s this, from Holmes’ 2022 end-of-the-year news conference in January. He was asked if he believed the Lions were one player away. His answer then, as it so often is, was telling.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Holmes said. “I still think we’ve got enough work to do. I wouldn’t put us in the ‘we’re one player away’ bucket. … I don’t even know when that window comes. I don’t even know when that ‘one player away’ window comes, and if it does come, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to still keep trying to get players. But there’s some areas that we’ll look at and address, and we’ll be wise and smart and strategic in how we add.
“But again, we don’t just spend big on getting a high-price guy. It’s got to be the right fit, and it’s got to be the right guy, and if it’s not the right guy then it doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks.”
Unbothered. Unfazed. Unapologetic. That’s the mentality the Lions’ brass has. It’s how they’ve always operated and it’s what’s gotten them this far. Two years removed from a 3-13-1 season, the Lions are now 6-2, in first place in the NFC North and slotted in as the NFC’s No. 2 seed through eight games. This, after taking over a roster they had to rebuild from the ground up.
That rebuild largely took place through the draft. They weren’t going to cut corners. They weren’t going to bring in high-priced free agents who don’t fit their culture or timeline. They were going to draft and develop talent who could anchor a winning roster.
Three years in, the Lions have done just that. They’ve added franchise cornerstones like Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson — all playing at a Pro Bowl level — via the draft. It’s where they added key pieces like Derrick Barnes and Kerby Joseph, and potential building blocks like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. It’s Year 3 and every player this regime has selected remains on the roster. That speaks to the commitment the Lions have in seeing this through.
Trading a top-100 pick for Chase Young or Montez Sweat, both free agents in 2024, would not be consistent with the moves we’ve seen from Holmes and Campbell. Their main objective from Day 1 has been building a sustainable winner first and foremost. This is Year 3, but only Year 1 in terms of their window. They’ll need to continue adding through the draft, and have four top-100 picks in 2024. They’ll need to maintain cap flexibility, as they look to re-sign key players who are due for new contracts in the coming years.
Detroit Lions trade for Donovan Peoples-Jones.jpg
It doesn’t mean there won’t come a day when the Lions sacrifice draft capital for game-ready talent. The Lions made calls and did their homework on players — available and unavailable. But right now, at this deadline, there wasn’t a deal out there for them that aligned with their process.
Campbell said Holmes “scoured a ton.”
“I can’t tell you the number of calls that he made,” Campbell said. “I think there are some players that you may not even know about that could be perceived as very good players and maybe the tape’s not there. So, there’s all kinds of things there. But trust me, he did his work and we’re good with where we’re at.”
“We look at every position,” Holmes said. “A lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media, and they are names, but that’s often — it’s not reality. Those same names you see pop up, when you start getting into conversation, it just doesn’t work out the best for us. So, every team has a different plight, every team is in a different place, different direction, different phase in their team building. But no, there’s nothing that we leave unturned or ignored or anything. We look at every position.”
There’s risk involved whenever a team in contention holds firm and others around it get better. It’s easy to look around and compare. And for a Lions team that looks like it’s getting closer, it’s fair to wonder if it’s making the right choice.
But the same decision-makers who chose to stand pat at the deadline are also responsible for getting this first-place team here in the first place. These Lions have proven capable of hanging with some good teams over the past two years. We don’t know how they’ll perform in the postseason, because we haven’t seen this squad on that stage yet.
Perhaps it’s best to let things play out on the field. That’s how the Lions have operated all along.
Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy
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