Lions urged to make underwhelming trade for pass-rusher (it's not Za'Darius Smith)

It's not easy to do, as he will tell you at any opportunity, but general manager Brad Holmes has occasionally been defiant about the Detroit Lions not adding an edge rusher of much note this offseason. Re-signing Marcus Davenport and using a Day 3 pick on one (Ahmed Hassanein) don't move the needle all that much, though Hassanein has potential.

The possibility of re-signing Za'Darius Smith is lingering out there, but it has not happened yet. So it looks like Aidan Hutchinson or bust for the Lions to generate pass rush off the edge right now, for better or worse.

As we approach training camp, the Lions will be tied to potential moves to add an edge rusher. If bringing Smith back was going to happen, it should have happened already, unless he was set on not having to take part in OTAs before an earlier-than-usual training camp start date due to the Lions playing in the Hall of Fame Game.

Grade the trade proposal: Lions part with notable player to get edge rusher

Mike Payton of A to Z Sports, while fully acknowledging it being the slow time on the NFL calendar, has offered up a trade proposal for the Lions to add an edge rusher.

The trade:

• Lions get: Edge A.J. Epenesa
• Bills get: DT DJ Reader

Grade the trade proposal: C-

The idea of Reader as a trade candidate is not outlandish. While Pro Football Focus graded him out solidly (No. 36 overall out of 118 qualifying defensive tackles) last year, his first season in Detroit was not overly impressive in any facet.

The additions of Roy Lopez in free agency and Tyleik Williams in the first round of the draft give the Lions somewhat of a surplus at defensive tackle (Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo, Pat O'Connor). McNeill's recovery from a torn ACL late last season, and it being a virtual lock he's not ready for the start of the season, is a big part of the equation when it comes to the possibility of trading Reader.

Epenesa was a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) by the Bills in 2020. He started a career-high 13 games last season, setting a career-best with 612 defensive snaps as he tallied at least six sacks for the third straight season. That said, according to PFF, he had just 21 pressures on 356 pass rush snaps. He is entering the final year of his contract, with a base salary of $5.76 million.

The idea of trading Reader is mostly driven by the cap space the Lions can clear. Since it's after June 1 now, they can clear $11.69 million in cap space by trading him, with just a $1.2 million dead money hit this year. The Lions will have a $3.73 million cap hit attached to Reader next year, no matter what, due to the three void years in his contract (2026-2028) and the related proration of his signing bonus.

The ship has pretty much sailed on the Lions making a notable move to add an edge rusher, so any trade proposals have to have that in mind. But there's one word to best describe this one, focused on the player they'd acquire far more than who they'd give up.