Getty Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions reportedly "showed interest" in trading for quarterback Trey Lance.
The Detroit Lions have a full quarterback room, especially with the recent arrival of Teddy Bridgewater.
Including rookie Hendon Hooker, who is expected to begin the season on the non-football injury list, the Lions could enter the 2023 season with four quarterbacks.
But The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported that the Lions “showed interest” in adding yet another quarterback in San Francisco 49ers signal caller Trey Lance.
“The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance,” Russini wrote on Twitter. “In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources.
“Most of the early discussion about a trade involved a 6th rounder that could get to a 5th. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys offered the best deal.”
The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance.
In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources.
Most of the early discussions about a trade involved a 6th rounder that…
It’s not 100% clear if the Lions were one of the teams which made that offer — a conditional fifth-round pick. But Detroit was apparently not against acquiring another former top 5 pick quarterback who grew into a castoff with his team.
The 49ers traded up to draft Lance at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
49ers Trade Trey Lance to Dallas Cowboys
A lot transpired for Lance and the 49ers during the final week of the preseason. Brock Purdy is healthy enough to be San Francisco’s quarterback again to open the 2023 season, and the 49ers elected to name veteran Sam Darnold the team’s backup signal caller.
Relegated to a third-string role, Lance requested a trade, according to Gabe Lehman of SF Gate. Only days later, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the 49ers agreed to trade Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round pick.
To outbid the other teams courting Lance, the Cowboys offered a higher Day 3 draft choice. However, they still landed Lance for pennies on the dollar based on his original draft selection.
Only quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson went before Lance in the 2021 NFL draft. And while Lance hasn’t proven to be worth the No. 3 overall pick yet, he really hasn’t received much of an opportunity to.
He basically redshirted his first season, starting in only two games and appearing in just one other in a significant role. Then last season, he suffered a season-ending injury during Week 2.
Lance has struggled with his accuracy, posting a 54.9% completion percentage in the NFL. But he’s averaged 7.8 yards per pass with 5 touchdowns while also recording 4.4 yards per carry and another score on the ground.
Lance is also 2-2 as an NFL starter.
Lions QB Depth Heading Into 2023 Season
The Lions acquiring Lance would have been surprising, yet it would have followed a pattern of sorts. Two and a half years ago, Detroit acquired Jared Goff, who went No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL draft.
Goff took the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018, but he began on a downward trajectory in 2019 until turning his career around in Detroit.
Obviously, Lance didn’t accomplish in San Francisco what Goff did in Los Angeles. However, Lance is looking for a similar second chance.
He won’t receive an opportunity to start in Week 1, but perhaps down the road, the Cowboys will present that chance to Lance.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, the Lions will have depth behind Goff even without Lance.
Bridgewater is projected to be the team’s backup signal caller. Nate Sudfeld could also still make the 53-man roster, but he suffered a serious injury in the preseason finale on August 25.
Hooker is expected to be back at some point this season too.
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Lions ‘Showed Interest’ in Trading for Former 1st-Round QB: Report