Dan Campbell Teases Lions 'Could Be' Nearing Trade Amid Hutchinson Injury, NFL Rumors

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell hinted on Monday that the Detroit Lions could have a trade in the works ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

A move for a defensive end, in particular, would make sense for the Lions after superstar Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg, an injury that likely will keep him out of action for the duration of the 2024 season.

The team is also without Marcus Davenport with a season-ending torn triceps and linebacker Derrick Barnes with a knee injury that could end his season. Josh Paschal also missed Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans for medical reasons.

That has left the Lions with players like Paschal, James Houston and Al-Quadin Muhammad off the edge, hardly a who's who of pash-rushers.

But Campbell has said in the past that the Lions don't feel like they have to make a trade for the sake of making a trade.

"I don't feel like we're pressured to, 'Oh man, everybody's moving, we've got to move,'" he told reporters last week. "I don't feel that."

He also said the Lions don't necessarily need to add a star at the position.

"I think if anything you're looking for really a role player," Campbell said two weeks ago during a weekly radio appearance on WXYT-FM (97.1). "Somebody I think that can set an edge, that can transition into rush. It doesn't have to be somebody—I mean, look, as you guys know, the elite rushers and edge setters and all that don't just fall off trees, or if they do then you're going to have to sell the farm to get them. But I do think there could be some guys out there, man, that'll fit into what we're doing defensively."

The Lions, currently 6-1 on the season and looking like the top contender in the NFC, have 20 sacks on the season, currently tied for 12th in the NFL. But 7.5 of them came from Hutchinson across the five games he played, so his loss severely depleted Detroit's pass rush.

There's no replacing his impact, but given the spate of injuries the team has had in the front seven, adding a reinforcement would make sense for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.