The Detroit Lions didn’t make any major changes at the trade deadline, but other NFC contenders did. We’ll explain why it’s good.
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Detroit Lions made a splash on Tuesday. Adding depth receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones at the expense of a 2025 sixth-round pick didn’t move the needle that much, and some Lions fans were understandably disappointed.
I say “sensibly” because many Lions fans have spent the last few weeks looking to see every player land against an NFC contender (except Labb for the Bears) just because they added high-impact defenders like Montez Lab, Chase Young, Leonard Williams, Kevin Byrd.
So why didn’t the lions have a feast? Were fan expectations too high? What do we do with the Peoples-Jones addition? We’ll be breaking it all down this week on the podcast. Ryan Matthews, Morgan Cannon, and I each weighed in on the incredibly dynamic NFC North at the trade deadline, and took a deep dive into the Lions’ “Monday Night Football” win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Here are some excerpts from our conversation.
Adding Peoples-Jones
Cannon: “While everyone is excited at the trade deadline, it’s not a move that everyone wants. But at the end of the day, if God forbid, someone went down and the lions were thin. I was hoping they could add another outside corner. It would be nice if that would make me sleep a little better at night, but this helps because, God forbid, Josh Reynolds lost time or something along those lines. DPJ can play a variety of roles, with exceptional team experience.
On fans worried about the lack of big action:
Reisman: “Let me start with Dan Campbell, because I think his[quote]speaks volumes. he said:
“Brad and I have had a plan since day one, man, that we don’t want to change, that we don’t want to mess up, and we’re in year three, year three, and everything has to be right.
“This is what they talked about every part of the process. “We have a plan in place. We don’t want to deviate from that plan.’ And he’ll tell you: they’re not at the level where you think they should be coming in. And I said a week before the trade deadline, this team, their window is opening now and They don’t want to dig into their future choices.. I know a 3rd round (pick) doesn’t seem that valuable, but if you believe in Brad Holmes that way and see the way he was drafted on Day 2, how can you not continue to believe in this guy. A plan? They were 1-6 at this time last year and are now a top NFC contender. Everything you have done in every way is the right way. They want lasting success.
“I know Lions fans, you name it, we’ve waited 70 years for a winner, and now we’ve had a little taste, that’s all we’re going to take, we want to take the bull by the horns. ‘This is ours. This is our year. Look at the NFC North, it’s bad! Look at the rest of the NFC: Bad! There’s a chance!’ This organization does not want to see ‘this is our window, we have to seize it.’ No. ‘Tis our window. all the time open up. We don’t care if NFC North improves; Because we will still be better.’
Check out our full discussion below. The first part is about the business deadline. The second talk is Lions vs. Raiders, and the final episode talks about the second half of the Lions’ season and what could hold them back.
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