The Detroit Lions were widely expected to make a significant move along the edge all year, but that move has not come to fruition.
Well, it did come in the form of a subtraction of Za'Darius Smith, which left the Lions with a trio of Aidan Hutchinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Marcus Davenport, who is currently on injured reserve with a chest issue.
The Lions should make a move, and general manager Brad Holmes should be swinging for the fences with Detroit looking like a true contender once again.
One way he can do that is trading for Cincinnati Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson, who was predicted to land with the Lions in a blockbuster deal by Pro Football & Sports Network's Josh Weil.
Weil predicts a trade between Detroit and Cincinnati that sends the former Hendrickson and the latter a 2026 second-round pick.
One of the bigger swings at the deadline would be the Lions’ going out and getting Trey Hendrickson. They did something similar last year with bringing in Za’Darius Smith, but this is a different level of game-changing talent alongside Hutchinson. This will elevate them to compete with the best teams in this league on that side of the ball, as the offense is already elite. To me, this move would make the Lions the favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Hendrickson is a logical trade candidate after his issues with the team when it came to getting a contract extension done. The two sides couldn't hammer something out and that sets the four-time Pro Bowler up to hit free agency in 2026.
For the Bengals to trade Hendrickson, their season will have to go south. But that is a realistic scenario for Cincinnati, a team that has lost three straight games and is now 2-3 after Joe Burrow's injury, which will keep him out until at least mid-December.
Burrow's backup, Jake Browning, has been so bad that the Bengals are now turning to Joe Flacco after a Tuesday trade with the Cleveland Browns. After what we saw out of Flacco in his four starts this season, there's a very good chance he won't be the answer to turning the Bengals' fortunes around.
Adding Hendrickson, who has four sacks and 21 pressures through four games after he led the NFL in sacks last season, would give the Lions the best one-two punch along the edge in the league along with Hutchinson, and that would also allow Detroit to be less dependent on the injury-prone Davenport.
Super Bowl windows like the one the Lions have right now don't stay open forever. The Lions need to do what they can to cash in and acquiring Hendrickson would be a good way to help their cause.
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