Getty Safety Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals gestures during warmups prior to a game against the Los Angeles Rams in November 2022.
The Detroit Lions have made some big investments into their secondary in the past year, finding only mixed results.
The team signed cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson last offseason but watched both go down to long-term injuries. The Lions took another big swing this year, using their top two draft picks on cornerbacks.
There could still be one more big investment to come. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested that the Lions could make a run at All-Pro safety Budda Baker in a three-way trade that would come at a high cost.
Lions Predicted to Take Home Run Swing
Knox suggested a hypothetical three-way trade — a rarity for the NFL — where the Lions would land Baker from the Arizona Cardinals with the Dallas Cowboys helping to facilitate the deal. Knox suggested that the Lions would send a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Cardinals and a big haul to the Cowboys — quarterback Hendon Hooker, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, running back Craig Reynolds and a 2026 third-round pick.
Knox suggested the move could give the Lions the final piece as Super Bowl contenders.
“The Detroit Lions made it to the NFC title game last season, but they entered the offseason needing to improve a pass defense that ranked 29th in net yards per attempt allowed,” Knox wrote. “Detroit took steps by trading for Carlton Davis and drafting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.”
An ESPN analyst suggests the Cardinals should extend Budda Baker ahead of training camp.
But the cost would likely be too high for a Lions team that was meticulous in filling roster holes this offseason. SI.com writer Albert Breer noted in a mailbag column that he had to go “scratching and clawing” to find any weak points in the roster, sharing some praise for the work that general manager Brad Holmes has done.
Knox’s proposed trade would leave the Lions in need of new veteran depth at both wide receiver and running back while shipping off this season’s expected No. 2 quarterback behind Jared Goff.
Growing Trade Talk Around Hendon Hooker
Knox is not the first to suggest that the Lions could trade Hooker, a third-round pick who spent the majority of his rookie season rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in his final season at Tennessee. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder suggested that the Lions could look to get a return on Hooker, who otherwise appears destined to spend the entirety of his rookie contract firmly behind Goff on the depth chart.
“The Detroit Lions gave Jared Goff a contract extension this offseason, which pretty much ensures Hooker will be a backup throughout his rookie deal,” Holder wrote. “Trading last year’s third-round pick to a QB-needy team sooner rather than later would allow the front office to maximize its return for him.”
The Atheltic’s Colton Pouncy also suggested that the Lions could move on from Hooker, but believes the move would not come until at least 2025.
“The Lions drafted him to be a high-upside backup with starting potential if needed, but now that he’s blocked by Goff for the foreseeable future, could a trade down the road be the best way to maximize his value?” Pouncy wrote. “It’s an interesting discussion. Probably not one for the 2024 season, but perhaps when we get deeper into his rookie contract.”