The Detroit Lions seem firmly committed to running it back basically as-is this offseason, while betting on better health next season. Not that it could be any worse on the injury front than it was last season, so there should be some naturally correction toward far better fortune there.
Still, amid all the players who have been re-signed and the lower-end outside signings this side of cornerback DJ Reed, edge rusher stands as a huge need. A deep draft class at the position offers options, but adding a veteran of some sort should be on the radar.
Any idea of a big move to add an edge rusher this offseason was never realistic, and outside of a very vague notion Trey Hendrickson could be available to trade for it's not happening. So it'll take some deeper digging to unearth someone the Lions could trade for.
Grading the trade idea: Lions acquire draft classmate of Aidan Hutchinson
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus pointed to four teams who should fill a major need with a trade rather than drafting a rookie to fill the void. For the Lions, he proposed New York Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux as a trade target.
"Although this year’s draft class features a strong group of edge rushers, Detroit’s win-now mentality may lead the team to execute a trade to address the deficiency, as the Lions had attempted to with Za’Darius Smith at the deadline."
"One potential name to target could be the guy who was selected three picks after Hutchinson in 2022, Kayvon Thibodeaux. The New York Giants edge rusher hasn’t made the impact many thought he would in New York, eclipsing a 70.0 single-season PFF pass-rush grade just once, but the right situation could set the record straight."
As Cameron noted, Thibodeaux has not had the kind of impact he was expected to after the Giants took him No. 5 overall in the 2022 draft. His best season thus far was clearly 2023, when he had 11.5 sacks with 12 tackles for loss while playing all 17 games. He missed five games last season and three as a rookie, totaling 9.5 sacks in those campaigns.
The Giants have a significant fifth-year option decision coming on Thibodeaux on or before May 1, and/or a decision to give him a contract extension or not. Cameron suggested if they want to maximize his trade value "now would be the time."
Cameron also, seemingly forgetting about the upcoming contract extensions the Lions have on their plate, wrote how "Detroit has the structure in place to tap into the pass rusher’s potential, as well as the cap space to facilitate an extension, should the team decide to."
Then there's the hypothetical trade cost to acquire Thibodeaux. The Giants can and should require at least a Day 2 draft pick, but it's also safe to assume their desire to trade him is nil or very close to it.
The Lions did a lot of work on Thibodeaux during the 2022 pre-draft process, and they've gotten a close look at him in each of the last two preseasons via joint practices against the Giants.
The idea of the Lions trading for Thibodeaux is an interesting one on the surface. But the more digging that's done, the more unlikely it gets. Atop the list of knocks to the idea is the Giants are probably not at all inclined to move him. So the trade concept completely falls apart when considering how, or if, it would actually be executed,
