Lions Advised to Trade Defensive Lineman Before NFL Deadline

The 2019 NFL trade deadline is coming, and while the Detroit Lions have already made one move, they could be on tap to make others.

Will the team be buyers or sellers? Signs point to them buying, but if the Lions choose to sell another piece off, Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox knows exactly who should be the member of the team that is taking a hike when all is said and done, and it’s defensive tackle Damon Harrison.

The Lions acquired Harrison at last year’s trade deadline, but after an up and down season thus far this year up dront, the opinion is that the Lions should be trading Harrison this time around if they get any calls about players currently on the roster.

Here’s why Knox wrote he thinks that is the case:

“While Harrison has not been the dominant run-stuffer he’s been in the past, he is a talented and respected veteran who could command interest on the trade market. The Lions owe it to themselves to see what sort of interest is there.

A change of scenery might benefit Harrison, and there are some other contenders—such as the Kansas City Chiefs—who have struggled mightily against the run this season. The Detroit run defense is unlikely to get significantly worse.”

Detroit picked up Harrison a year ago and seems more committed to him after restructuring his contract, but as the Quandre Diggs trade shows, players simply can never say when their time will be up with a team.

Harrison Eying Turnaround

Obviously, Harrison knows he has struggled and he thinks that the reason is how tough opposing teams are playing him on the field up front.

“I would just say teams are doing a good job of making sure I’m accounted for. That hasn’t stopped me in the past and I don’t see why it should stop me now,” Harrison told the media about his slow start to the 2019 season.

Are they playing him any differently? Perhaps not exactly.

“I wouldn’t say differently. They’re just doing a good job of getting me off some things I am struggling with now,” he said, declining to mention what things those were specifically.

Regardless, Harrison is keenly aware that the team must turn things around on the defensive side of the ball. As for any left over feelings about the Giants, there are none according to Harrison, who said he is completely at peace with the decision the team made in 2018.

“No hard feelings at all, it’s a business. They did what’s best for them and I did what’s best for me which is why I support it,” Harrison said honestly.

If the Lions were to make such a move as suggested, Harrison would likely be the first to understand.

Still Adding

Counting on the Lions to dump salary, and trade someone like Harrison doesn’t seem like a wise proposition at this point. The team could remain buyers and look to add pieces on at the deadline instead of subtract them from the mix.

Some spots of need for Detroit include pass rusher and running back, and it will be fascinating to see if the Lions decide to take the plunge and add to one or more of those spots.

Subtracting a name like Harrison, while it might make sense to some, isn’t likely to be on the plan for Bob Quinn this time around.

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