The Detroit Lions earned a major win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but not without a pretty significant downside.
The team lost defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to a broken tibia and fibula during the contest, which should end his season.
Hutchinson was playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level for the Lions, which makes his loss all the more painful for a football team expected to contend for a Super Bowl this winter.
The Lions, quite frankly, don’t have a player on the roster who can fill Hutchinson’s gap. You probably won’t find a scenario where Detroit can fully replicate what the elite defensive lineman gives them in general.
However, that doesn’t mean the team should be complacent with such a seismic hit to the defense.
With Hutchinson’s injury coming well ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline (Nov. 5), the Lions still have lots of time to add a player to the position group for the expected playoff push (and perhaps more). Let’s survey five options.
Jets OLB Haason Reddick
The most obvious answer might be the trickiest. Reddick’s holdout has lasted the entirety of the New York Jets’ season, but the pass-rusher just hired new representation to potentially broker a deal to keep him in the Meadowlands. Trading for Reddick is the most logical answer for the Lions to replace Hutchinson… in theory. However, Detroit would have to sign Reddick to whatever contract he wants, one would assume, at the point of trade.
The Jets aren’t just going to let Reddick go without major compensation, and it’s entirely possible now the two sides figure something out now that the pass-rusher has fresh representation. We’re listing Reddick since he’s the clearest answer, but there are definite hurdles to prevent this from happening.
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson
The Bengals are 2-4, and there is still plenty of time for Cincinnati to turn things around to make the playoffs. That makes trading arguably their best defensive player in Hendrickson a long shot. However, Cincinnati has depth on the edge and isn’t necessarily guaranteed to make the postseason at this rate. Could the Lions make a swing for the ages and get an A-grade pass-rusher to keep hopes of a Super Bowl run as buoyant as ever?
Both Lions coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have experience with Hendrickson from the trio’s shared time with the New Orleans Saints. The Bengals’ defender fits into Glenn’s scheme like a glove. Hendrickson briefly requested a trade this offseason before backing down on it, too. However, you wonder if landing in a place like Detroit for a pay boost might pique his interest.
This is probably a pipe dream, but the Lions are desperate right now with a championship window so open. For the right compensation (a first-rounder and good change), perhaps Cincinnati is open to gaining assets for the future (or clearing out money to comfortably pay both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins) and sending Hendrickson to the Lions. Don’t discount the possibility of this, even if it’s not likely.
Browns DE Za’Darius Smith
Here’s where we start getting into decent possibilities after covering the most reasonable (if still unlikely) splashes. Smith is stuck on a Cleveland team that seems destined to tank its 2024 chances to keep quarterback Deshaun Watson in the lineup. That’s sad if you’re a Browns fan and probably very frustrating if you’re a veteran defender like Smith.
However, Detroit needs pass-rush help badly right now. Smith might be the perfect option to slide in to a starting role without costing the Lions a lot in in return. You could see the Browns welcoming, say, a fifth-round pick to move their second-best edge rusher in what’s shaping up to be a lost season. Smith could return to the NFC North where he last played for the Minnesota Vikings, and the Lions would get a respectable option to help replace the impact Hutchinson is leaving on the roster. A win-win!
Dolphins DE Calais Campbell
If you love football, this is the move you want to see. Campbell is a future Hall of Famer who just cannot end his phenomenal career playing for a Miami team in a tailspin. The Lions sending a sixth-round pick to the Dolphins to give Campbell a real run at a championship to perhaps close out his NFL playing days is the feel-good story we’d love to see happen.
Heck, we were calling for this even before the Hutchinson injury. Now that it’s even more pertinent that the Lions add a quality veteran to the rotation, getting Campbell in the building would be a huge boost. He’s still playing at a relatively high level at 38 years old, and it’d be a delight to see him playing deep into January with Detroit.
Patriots DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
Wise is, like Smith and Campbell, another reasonable possibility for Detroit off the edge. New England officially breaking in Drake Maye as the next possible franchise quarterback means a youth movement is coming for the Patriots. That might mean a veteran like Wise becomes expendable for a team looking to add younger talent in 2025 and beyond.
Wise only has two sacks this season so far, but he’s a starting-caliber edge rusher who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots to cap the 2018 season. He knows what it takes to win a title, and he’d give Detroit even more flexibility on the defensive line when it needs that most of all. For, say, a fifth-round pick, this feels like a pretty respectable option for a Lions team in need.
