The Detroit Lions are a popular dark horse pick to make a deep run in the playoffs this year, and they’re also a solid bet as a buyer at the trade deadline for many of the same reasons.
Detroit’s roster is a bit lopsided heading into Week 1, with the offense still very much a heavyweight while parts of the defense can potentially be toppled with a feather.
The greatest issue is in the secondary, where both starting safeties — Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch — will begin the season on the physically unable to perform [PUP] list. Meanwhile, the depth chart at cornerback is almost just as thin.
Mina Kimes of ESPN suggested on the Tuesday, September 8 edition of her podcast that Detroit’s talent, current Super Bowl window and strength of schedule (among the worst in the NFL in 2026) all add up to render the team a prime blockbuster trade candidate in the coming months.
“I could see them being first place in the division [mid-season], the offense is great, Drew Petzing has worked out, but they realize the defense isn’t actually good enough,” Kimes said. “But they know they need another pass-rusher, another DB. And also they know that this might be their shot. The NFC North is like weird and wide open.”
Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph Could Each Return Mid-Season to Strengthen Lions’ Secondary
Kimes’ guest on Tuesday, Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports, agreed and cited general manager Brad Holmes’ willingness to make trades involving big-name players.
“There’s proof he’ll trade. He traded David Montgomery for picks and Juice Scruggs,” Tice added. “This version of the Lions, this feels like the last chapter of it, and then we’ll move onto the new one.”
Kimes then mentioned cornerback Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns as a strong option for Detroit, particularly in the context of assumptions that Branch will return to the starting lineup at some point in the middle of the campaign. Joseph is also back with the team and “ramping up,” according to head coach Dan Campbell.
“Trade for Denzel Ward maybe?” Kimes said. “Denzel Ward makes sense in that defense — good fit.”
Denzel Ward Could Cost Lions as Much as 2nd-Round Draft Pick
Ward is heading into his age-29 campaign. He is a five-time Pro Bowler, including the last three years in a row and four of the previous five seasons.
Cleveland just extended Ward on a two-year deal worth $62.2 million total that keeps him under contract through 2029. He still had two seasons remaining on the $100.5 million deal he inked in April 2022.
Ward’s age and salary might push his trade value south, which would be good news for Detroit. That said, the Browns wanted him around enough to extend him this offseason, so they might argue for more compensation at the negotiating table.
A good starting point, at least, is Day 2 of the draft, during which teams make selections in the second and third rounds. The Lions currently hold eight picks next April, all of their own (Rounds 1-7) and another seventh-rounder conveying from the Los Angeles Chargers.
If Detroit is playing well enough to spend major draft capital in a trade, that means the Lions are likely to select near the end of every round, which might bring a late second-rounder into play depending on how well Ward performs across the first half of the season.
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