7 realistic trade targets for the Detroit Lions

The Dolphins EDGE veteran looks – and plays – like a slightly shorter version (he’s 6-foot-10 and lists 6-foot-7) of injured Lions starter Marcus Davenport. He is physically strong and can play on the left or right side of defense, both standing and with his hand in the ground.

A postseason free agent, Ogbah turns 31 the day after the trade deadline. The 2-6 Dolphins have a rookie in Mohammed Kamara who can’t get on the field because Ogbah is blocking his spot. Ogbah has two sacks and 11 QB pressures (per PFF) in seven games.

Some Lions fans have pointed to ties to Detroit front office assistant John Dorsey from their time in Cleveland, where Ogbah began his career in 2016. It should be noted that Dorsey was not responsible for creating Ogbah, but he was he sold it (for DB Eric Murray) a year after taking over as Browns general manager.

Garrett isn’t available, but he was there a lot of talk about the 2-6 Browns desire to part with Smith. The 32-year-old can still “crush the can” as an outside tackler, with three sacks in Cleveland’s last four games. Smith even mentioned it in a recent interview he would be happy to join the Lions.

At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Smith checks the size and style of the box that the Lions covet. The three-time Pro Bowler (last with the Vikings in 2022) is known for his excellent ability to blow up screen passes in addition to his 65 career sacks. The Lions won’t be the only party interested in Smith, so the price could be higher than expected.

Ojulari used the national stage to project himself as a potential trade target, racking up two sacks and seven tackles during a very active Monday night game against the Steelers. The 24-year-old currently has six sacks in eight games, which is very reasonable production for a Giants team heading for a top-10 finish in the 2025 NFL Draft.

He is available because the Giants have Brian Burns and 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux (currently injured) in their rotation, and will become a free agent after one year. Although he is exceptionally small for the Lions and weighs 240 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, Ojulari actually plays with the physicality required. Ojulari is another player who feels he has a lot of suitors, which puts the Lions at a disadvantage because they pick so late in each round; A fourth-place finisher from Detroit might be 10-15 spots later than a finisher from Atlanta or Minnesota.

This time last year, Young was the apple of many Lions fans’ eyes. Then for Washington, the second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was traded to the 49ers and busted for 2.5 sacks en route to the Super Bowl in San Francisco.

It just didn’t work out as well as expected for Young in New Orleans, where he signed as a free agent last season. The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder has two sacks and 30 pressures (per PFF) for New Orleans, plays exclusively as a standing right guard, but has difficulty finishing plays and isn’t getting off the blocks like he usually does to, perhaps a function of a serious knee injury as well as off-season neck surgery. One would hope that this is due to playing for a team that has lost six games in a row and does not appear to be well-coached, and that Young can regain his old style of play when the scenery changes.

2021 first-round NFL draft pick Tryon-Shoyinka didn’t go as expected for Tampa Bay. He has just 14 sacks in four seasons, including one this year. The Bucks did not exercise his fifth-year option, so now he awaits a free agent decision and is clearly out of the long-term for the fading Buccaneers.

Tryon-Shoyinka has the desired length of 6-foot-10 and 269 pounds, but he doesn’t necessarily play the style the Lions prefer. He misses way too many tackles (his career miss rate is just under 25 percent) and doesn’t handle physicality well on the offensive line. However, desperate times call for action in Detroit, and the idea of ​​acquiring a former first-round pick as a potential reclamation rental for a late Day 3 is certainly appealing.

Key is certainly fresh in his mind after sacking Jared Goff twice in the first quarter of the Lions’ win over his Titans on Sunday. He’s a player the Lions were at least briefly interested in as a free agent in 2023 as well.

At 240 pounds, Key is undersized for Detroit’s scheme, although he shows some physicality as a pass rusher. He is an NFL journeyman at 28; he has played for four teams over the last five seasons. Key completed more than half of his quick passes all season in the first half against Detroit, and the Lions left the defender. Taylor Decker made a slight adjustment to his block and completely eliminated Key after the break. Yet it is available and inexpensive to purchase – both of which matter.

Jones is another player who had a nice game against the Lions earlier this year. The 27-year-old sacked Jared Goff in the end zone for a safety during Detroit’s Week 4 win.

At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, Jones doesn’t really fit the bill as an outside hitter, which is one of the reasons Seattle would be willing to part with him. This Lions defense, however, features players who can play a heavy DE role or kick inside to play over a defender (think Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal and Mekhi Wingo), and Jones fits the bill, producing quite consistently as a pass rusher and being reliable a cog in the running game.

Jones also has a terrible contract that will see him receive $16 million (though no guarantee is guaranteed) in 2025 and would require an immediate restructuring in any deal.