It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the Detroit Lions will have to acquire a cornerback at the NFL trade deadline to have a better chance in the NFC North the rest of the season. But there’s one cornerback in particular that appears to be gaining steam as a potential trade target.
On Wednesday, Pro Football Focus’s Bradley Locker named the Lions one of five possible fits for Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum. Although the Buccaneers won Thursday night, Tampa Bay could trade the veteran cornerback if they don’t go on a long winning streak before the trade deadline.
Then Thursday, A to Z Sports’ Mike Payton included McCollum on a list of the four most-likely Lions cornerback midseason trade targets.
Of the four targets, Payton wrote McCollum is his favorite for the Lions.
“McCollum is a big cornerback who looks built to play man coverage in this scheme,” wrote Payton. “The big draw here is that McCollum is 27 and has two more years left on his deal. He wouldn’t just be Detroit’s top corner this year. He could be its top corner for the next two and a half seasons.
With D.J. Reed probably not coming back after this year, the Lions are going to rebuild that room anyway. Why not start now with a CB1 you can build around through free agency and the draft?”
McCollum has 16 combined tackles with six pass defenses in five games this season.
Why Lions Should Target Buccaneers CB Zyon McCollum
Lions fans need to look no further than what McCollum did Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys to find evidence for why the team should consider him a trade target.
With McCollum locked in man coverage for a lot of the night, he helped slow down CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Granted, Lamb left with an injury during the fourth quarter, but he only caught two passes for nine yards.
Acquiring McCollum could give the Lions the first big piece they need to play more man-to-man coverages in the secondary. Detroit has struggled to play man-to-man but also hasn’t been a good zone coverage secondary either.
As Payton mentioned, McCollum also wouldn’t be a rental player. The veteran cornerback is signed through the 2028 campaign, which could give the Lions their CB1 for the next two years past this fall.
The Buccaneers signed McCollum to a 3-year, $48 million extension. In five years with the club, he has posted 39 pass defenses and three interceptions in 65 games. McCollum has started 47 contests in his career.
The Lions should be hunting for secondary upgrades, particularly at cornerback, over the next few weeks. They will enter Sunday’s contest versus the Arizona Cardinals last in total defense and passing yards allowed. They are also third-to-last in passing touchdowns yielded and second-to-last in scoring defense.
McCollum is unlikely to fix all of Detroit’s defensive problems. But acquiring him could be a great start to turning things around on that side of the ball.
Lions CB Trade Pitch Gaining More Traction Before Cardinals Matchup