The NFL trade deadline hit at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday with no fresh news involving the Detroit Lions. GM Brad Holmes and the Lions made their move hours earlier on Tuesday morning in acquiring EDGE Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for two Day 3 draft picks.
Other teams made some moves around the league, but none of the big-name pass rushers like Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby were traded. Nor was NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals, a team that was a buyer at the trade deadline for just the second time since 1970.
None of the more realistic Lions targets wound up being dealt, either. Azeez Ojulari remains with the Giants, with New York apparently wanting too much in return for any other team to nibble. Chase Young and Carl Granderson are still New Orleans Saints, as unlikely as a Lions trade for either player might have been. Arden Key and Harold Landry stuck with the Titans, too.
Detroit lacked significant draft capital to make some minor moves, having already traded away next year’s third-round and fourth-round picks in trades made during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Nor did the Lions trade away any players, as expected. The injuries across the defensive line made any concept of dealing someone like James Houston or Isaiah Thomas prohibitive.
