Getty Brandin Cooks catches a pass in 2021 for a score.
It was a quiet trade deadline around the NFL and especially for the Detroit Lions after the rumor mill churned hard for a few weeks, and even though that is the case, it doesn’t mean there weren’t some moves that should have played out.
The Lions didn’t end up getting anything done in terms of adding a pass catcher or trading a player away for extra picks. In the end, that was more than a bit frustrating given some of the current realities on their roster right now.
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What should the Lions have done during the deadline with players who were on the market? Here’s a look at some of the moves the Lions should have looked into getting done that would help their team both now and into the future as well.
Lions Trade Fourth-Round Pick for Wideout Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. remains at odds with the Cleveland Browns, and it’s too bad the Lions couldn’t have offered up a middle-round pick to try and bring him to Detroit. It’s likely the Lions will go wideout shopping in the offseason, but bringing a player like Beckham to town at this point would have been a savvy move. Many folks will say Beckham would kill the team chemistry, but in Detroit, he would have been a lock to be the team’s top wideout not only in 2021, but in 2022 as well. That would speak to his ego, and also give him a better chance at excelling. Also, John Dorsey, who brought Beckham to Cleveland in the first place, is a personnel executive in Detroit now. All the way around, this type of deal made too much sense for a needy team like Detroit.
Perhaps if Beckham is released, the Lions can find a way to sign him and bring him to town without giving anything up. Otherwise, it would have made sense to gamble on Beckham’s talent for both now and in the future with a middle-round selection.
Lions Trade Fifth-Round Pick for Wideout Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton is a younger option at wideout, and New York seemed desperate to move on from him at the deadline this year. Adding Slayton to a young offense would have been a smart move for the Lions, and given the team a chance to acclimate him well ahead of the 2022 season. Slayton has not hit his potential in New York with 1,681 yards and 12 career touchdowns, but he is just the kind of young playmaker that could have excelled if given a new lease on life in Detroit as a top pass catching option at wideout.
Slayton could be an interesting player to look back on this offseason given plays like this, but it would have been nice for the Lions to give the wideout a try now and get a jump on planning for next year.
Lions Trade Linebacker Trey Flowers to Kansas City for Fifth-Round Pick
This move probably would have been considered selling low on Flowers, but it would have been hard to argue with the Lions trying to add more to the pick coffers by dealing someone away. Flowers has not lived up to the hype after his mega-deal, and it’s a big question to ponder whether or not he will stick on the roster past the 2022 offseason. Getting a jump-start on addressing this issue now may have been a good idea. Kansas City got a deal done for Melvin Ingram who may fit their system better, but dealing Flowers could have made sense for them as well given his age.
Lions Trade Fifth-Round Pick for Wideout Brandin Cooks
The potential fit with Cooks could have been a very natural one considering the wide receiver knows Jared Goff from his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Cooks has bounced around the league a lot, but has still managed to rack up 7,361 career yards and 41 touchdowns. Finding a way to pick him up could have been a savvy veteran buy for the Lions, considering he would be on the books for at least the next three years given his contract.
Cooks could still make sense as a target this offseason, but adding him now could have helped Goff and a Lions offense that struggles with finding the explosive play in a big way on the field.
Lions Trade Fourth-Round Pick for Tight End Evan Engram
Obviously, the Lions have a player in T.J. Hockenson who is gritty and tough at tight end, but Engram is a different kind of pass catcher, and can do things more like a wideout can. To that end, lining him up with Hockenson could have been an interesting experiment for the Lions in terms of matchups. Engram might be considered soft by some, but in the right system, he could flourish. With the Lions, that could have been the fit.
Outside of Hockenson, the Lions don’t have much at tight end. Engram could have given them a pass catching weapon to help take the heat off Hockenson and their wideouts as well.
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Deal for Big Wideouts Lead Top Deadline Trades Lions Should Have Made