A few weeks ago, the Detroit Lions’ trade deadline wish list seemed obvious: cornerback, cornerback, cornerback.
The secondary had been getting picked apart, and not in subtle ways. Big plays were flowing too easily through the air, and the early damage from Bryce Young and Josh Allen left the group looking like the clearest problem on the roster. Heading into the bye week, that unit carried plenty of baggage.
Now, as Week 8 arrives, the picture looks very different. Cornerback no longer feels like the desperate, top-priority fix it once did. The improvement appears real, and if it holds, it could reshape how Detroit approaches the November 10 trade deadline at 4pm EST.
That deadline comes after the Lions play the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins, but neither matchup sounds like the kind of acid test that will reveal much about the secondary’s progress. Minnesota has one of the league’s weakest passing attacks, while Miami is operating with Malik Willis at quarterback.
A more useful measuring stick may have already come and gone: Jordan Love. Against him, Detroit had three major answers - D.J. Reed’s strong work in coverage and against the run, Brian Branch’s sharp return, and the flexibility the Lions showed by mixing in Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Khalil Dorsey on passing downs.
The result was a defense that gave up one interception, two passing touchdowns, and a QBR of 53.3 to Love. The pass rush deserves plenty of the credit, too, since it kept Love under constant pressure and pushed him into more off-target throws than he usually makes.
But the secondary did its part, and that matters. It suggests Detroit can carry that level of play against quarterbacks with similar talent.
That shift changes the deadline conversation, too. Instead of chasing cornerback as the main objective, the Lions may need to turn their attention to linebacker.
Detroit still needs help in coverage, and that’s where the issue becomes impossible to ignore. Jack Campbell isn’t built for that job, and Malcolm Rodriguez has already been benched because he isn’t the answer there either. Trevor Nowaske has offered an intriguing option, but the Lions still need another linebacker in the mix to address one of their biggest soft spots: defending tight ends.
One name that fits the bill is Zach Baun. He would not come cheap - a Day 2 pick at minimum sounds about right - and the contract math beyond this year is no small thing.
Per Over The Cap, his cap hit sits at $11.89 million in 2027, $10.69 million in 2028, and $18.27 million in 2029. Detroit has made room, but that flexibility has been built with extensions in mind, not for adding more money.
Even so, Baun brings elite coverage ability at linebacker, and if the Eagles are looking to shed money as they navigate a sudden rebuild, the Lions should be on the phone. Detroit doesn’t have to be reckless, but a move like that deserves real consideration.
In Other News...
Lions Suddenly Face A Bigger NFC Test Than The Standings Show
After seven weeks, the NFC picture has tightened into something that looks less like a division race and more like a weekly survival test. The Vikings are still unbeaten at the top of the North, while the Bears, Lions and Packers all sit in playoff position, and even Seattle is lurking just outside the bracket. For Detroit, the margin for error is already thin enough that every divisional result can change how the standings feel from one Sunday to the next.
What makes the next stretch especially tricky is how little room there is to separate contenders from pretenders. The Lions are in the mix, but the path ahead runs through a conference that keeps stacking competent teams on top of one another, with upcoming games set to shape not just the North but the broader NFC race. And when Detroit gets its next crack at Minnesota, it will be facing a team that has been suffocating opponents defensively, which only raises the stakes of every possession before that matchup even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Got A Huge Late-Game Break From An Unexpected Defender
Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions got a break from an unlikely place when defensive tackle DJ Wonnum got a hand on Green Bay kicker Trey Smacks 35-yard field-goal attempt. The deflection helped send the kick wide and kept the game tied in a tense finish that was hanging on every snap.
It was the kind of play that can disappear in the blur of a close game, and even some Lions teammates did not realize Wonnum had made the difference until after it was over. Detroit ultimately walked away with a 20-17 win, and the late stop loomed large because it prevented the Packers from taking the lead when the pressure was at its highest. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Got The Injury Reassurance Fans Wanted After Packers Win
The Lions left Lambeau with a win and, as often happens after a physical NFC North game, a little injury cleanup on the side. Dan Campbell said after Week 7 that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ennis Rakestraw came out with minor issues, the kind of postgame concern that tends to linger only long enough to make everyone hold their breath before the next week begins.
For Detroit, the encouraging part is the timing. Neither player is expected to miss the upcoming matchup with the Vikings, even if one or both sits out a practice day along the way, and the Lions have enough depth to absorb a short absence if needed. Rakestraw had a role against Green Bay, logging 31 percent of the defensive snaps, and the message around the injury report is that this looks more like a brief inconvenience than a real setback. [Read more 🡒]