Getty Lions general manager Bob Quinn.
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Detroit Lions have elected to not made any deal.
At 4 p.m. EST, the deadline passed without a move of any kind from Detroit. The Lions had been rumored to be coveting an offensive upgrade, and could have also chose to look at the defensive side of the ball for a move as well. None of that will be happening, so the 3-3-1 Lions will be prepared to ride things out with their roster from now until the end of the season.
Detroit made a trade last week, shipping fan favorite Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth round pick. They will hold on to that fifth round pick now. The Lions were also rumored to be taking calls on Darius Slay, but with an expensive asking price, nothing was done there either.
Detroit will now try and claw back into the playoff race with the roster they’ve got in 2019, which given their average record thus far, seems like a major task.
Rumors Abound
In addition to the traded Kenyan Drake, the Lions were also rumored to be eying Melvin Gordon, and potentially as the internet suggested, Le’Veon Bell and Jamal Adams at other points during the day. Additionally, Chris Harris of Denver was reportedly targeted. None of those players were moved, so it wasn’t merely the Lions missing out.
Detroit might have wanted look at an upgrade for a defensive upgrade along their line given some of their troubles there or on the back end given injuries, but it sounded like running back might be the most obvious spot the team could have decided to add to the roster.
Right now, the team’s biggest hole remains at running back, where they must wait for Kerryon Johnson to heal up and come off IR. Otherwise, the tandem of Ty Johnson, Paul Perkins, J.D. McKissic and Tra Carson, while willing and eager, might not be enough to get it done statistically.
Time to Make Push
What’s next for the Lions? Trying to win with the roster they’ve got, for better or worse. A playoff push will need to begin the next three weeks if the Lions want to be playing big time football in December.
Detroit can likely forget about the postseason if they drop both of their next two games, so the biggest path is to win those two, then have some things benefit them in the standings. After that, they will likely need to win against the Dallas Cowboys in a vital game at home. Three straight wins would likely keep the Lions in the conversation into November, which could set Detroit up to make a run. A game against the Washington Redskins, and a home Thanksgiving game against the Bears could help swell the Lions record further if they could manage to get those.
In other words, the best path is to keep winning consecutively. It’s a tall order, but looking at the relative record of the teams that play, it’s not impossible whatsoever.
After the deadline, the Lions will have to get in with the roster they’ve got.
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