Will Brad cook? That’s what Detroit Lions fans want to know with the NFL’s trade deadline coming on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Entering Sunday’s Week 9 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the Lions sit at an impressive 5-2, but there is potential to upgrade some weak spots on Detroit’s roster.
The Lions don’t need any frontline stars, and to be frank, GM Brad Holmes has shown little inclination to spend multiple high draft picks on pie-in-the-sky fan dream acquisitions. Even with this year’s pre-deadline activity proving to be far more splashy than in years past, that’s just not what this Lions regime does. Still, there are several realistically available and potentially useful players that could pique Detroit’s interest.
The players are listed in alphabetical order by position group.
Defensive backs
Budda Baker, S, Cardinals–Baker is now 30 and is no longer performing at his perennial Pro Bowl level for Arizona. His range and lack of long speed should relegate him to more box-safety and hybrid slot duties than playing over the top, which was never his strength to begin with. Baker remains an elite run defender and short-range enforcer in the passing game. He’s also bagged four sacks this season as an opportunistic blitzer, doubling his previous career-high for a season in just eight games.
Baker is under contract through next season, but none of his $16M salary is guaranteed. That makes him a potential rental with the option for release or a more friendly extension after the season. In Detroit, Baker would figure to provide insurance and veteran oomph playing with and occasionally in place of Brian Branch, taking over the Christian Izien role.
JuJu Brents, CB, Dolphins--the best thing Brents offers is size on the outside. He’s a legit 6-foot-3 and uses his length pretty well in man coverage. While he’s a starter for the Dolphins, Brents wouldn’t rank higher than Rock Ya-Sin on Detroit’s CB depth chart. He’s slow for an outside corner and has a career missed-tackle rate over 15 percent, and Brents also has the highest penalties-per-coverage-snap rate in the NFL. Not exactly an appealing fit, though this Lions regime did once think highly of Brents as an NFL Draft prospect back in 2023, when he went in the second round to the Colts.
Cam Bynum, S, Colts–Bynum could very well be the next asset the Colts sell off, and he should hold appeal to the Lions as a rangier, quicker over-the-top coverage safety than Chuck Clark. The 28-year-old has played solidly throughout his career in single-high coverage, and Bynum is a relatively reliable and prolific tackler, though that has fallen off in Indianapolis’ lost 2026.
There are salary considerations with Bynum, who is signed through the 2028 season with guaranteed cap hits north of $15M in the next two seasons. The Colts would presumably have to eat some serious dead cap money–more than they’re already on the hook for with Bynum– to make any deal work.
Andre Cisco, S, Jets--New York’s game against Detroit was the effective end for Cisco’s run as a starter in Aaron Glenn’s defense. The 26-year-old has played under 30 total defensive snaps in the five games since. During his Jacksonville days, Cisco was at his best playing the high man in a split safety look, which isn’t something the Lions typically deploy. He does still have range and plays the ball in the air well, though he’s unlikely to pick anything off.
Cisco is on an expiring contract and it’s clear this current Jets regime has no interest in him long-term, so a conditional Day 3 pick might very well get it done if Detroit is interested.
Donte Jackson, CB, Chargers–If the Lions are looking to upgrade speed and ball skills on the outside in coverage, Jackson is an attractive option. The 31-year-old has started over 100 games and has picked off 23 passes in his career, including 9 in the 2024-25 seasons. He’s always been a shaky, lightweight tackler, more willing than able in run defense. Jackson is on an expiring contract and is coming off a recent hamstring injury, which could make him very inexpensive to acquire from the winless Chargers.
Justin Reid, S, Saints–Reid has almost a decade of NFL starting experience and can still provide solid run defense and short-area/intermediate pass defense in both man and zone coverage. He does appear to have lost a step in 2026, and the 29-year-old has never been great as an over-the-top type of safety.
A recent contract restructure with the Saints makes Reid incredibly affordable for the remainder of 2026, and he’s still signed through 2027 with no guaranteed money. Reid would provide the Lions a more veteran No. 3 safety presence than Thomas Harper or Christian Izien in the same basic role, though he’s not as effective in the slot vs. TEs anymore.
Amik Robertson, CB, Commanders–hello, old friend, it would be nice to see you again. Robertson played for the Lions in 2024-2025 and proved to be a capable starter. Robertson brings inside/outside versatility and knows the scheme and the team. As was largely the case in Detroit, and with the Raiders beforehand, Robertson performs much better as an undersized outside CB than in the slot with Washington.
Mike Sainristil, CB, Commanders–a 2024 second-round pick from Michigan (11 picks before Ennis Rakestraw), Sainristil has been a colossal disappointment for Washington. His head coach even called him out for poor play by name in a September press conference. Mental lapses, soft play in physical situations and all-around tentativeness in coverage have been persistent problems.
A late Day 3 pick would almost certainly get the job done to offer Sainristil a change of scenery and a shot at salvaging his NFL career. Expectations should be very low even if he’s acquired, however.
Riq Woolen, CB, Eagles–Woolen carries higher name recognition than being an actual fit for the Lions. He’s fairly effective in short-range coverage, using his 6-foot-4 frame and quick eyes fairly well. However, Woolen has proven something of a penalty-plagued misfit in Philadelphia after earning a one-year, $12M contract based on four solid seasons in Seattle. His lacking effort in run defense probably precludes him from Lions’ interest, but he needs to at least be mentioned here.
Linebackers
Zach Baun, LB, Saints–The stunning collapse of the Eagles could make an All-Pro linebacker with amazing positional versatility available. That’s Baun, who is one of the NFL’s best all-around LBs the last three years. Baun can blitz, he can cover, he’s got range and instincts as a tackler, and he’s smart and fiercely competitive. In short, he checks every box the Lions (and other teams) could possibly want.
Dan Campbell was part of the Saints regime that picked Baun in the third round back in 2020, though his career didn’t take off until he landed in Philly in 2024. He’ll need a new contract for 2027, but that shouldn’t sink efforts to try and pry Baun from the Eagles. Of all the players listed here in any section, Baun is the one who seems most likely to be the subject of a bidding war with multiple teams.
Jordyn Brooks, LB, Dolphins–Brooks would not be inexpensive to acquire, as he just signed a three-year extension in Miami that features a $13M guaranteed salary in 2027. For the injury-plagued Lions, the speedy veteran off-ball LB might very well be worth it.
Seattle’s first-rounder in 2020, Brooks has been a consistent tackler and positionally smart run defender his entire career. He has shown he can blitz and is quick to the sidelines on edge runs. While coverage has never been his forte, Brooks has steadily improved in zone awareness and depth in his drops–exactly what the Lions need. Pay attention to No. 20 on the Miami defense on Sunday.
Troy Dye, LB, Chargers–A nickel backer by stature and nature, the 30-year-old Dye remains effective in both man and zone coverage near the line of scrimmage. Dye also isn’t afraid to lay some lumber as a hitter, though wrapping and dropping ball carriers isn’t as steady. He’s also been a special teams captain at spots in his 7-year NFL career. Think of him as the flip side of a platoon player opposite Malcolm Rodriguez and that’s basically what Dye is at this point. He’s a pending free agent, so renting him for half a season shouldn’t cost Detroit much in return.
Daiyan Henley, LB, Chargers--Henley is a three-year starter for the Chargers and would immediately step into Detroit as the team’s top coverage LB. The 2023 third-rounder (taken shortly after the Lions swung and missed on Hendon Hooker) is smallish but swift and not afraid of stacking and shedding blocks. Henley is not playing well this year, though that’s true of pretty much everyone around him in Los Angeles, too. He’s a pending free agent and does have some decent timing on blitzes to augment his coverage value. If the Chargers are indeed shopping him, the Lions should be interested.
Pete Werner, LB, Saints--Werner doesn’t overlap with Dan Campbell in New Orleans, but he’s cut from the same cloth as a football player that Coach Campbell covets for Detroit. The 27-year-old is having his best all-around season while doing more in the Saints defense, notably blitzing and playing out in the slot over flexed TEs. Despite that increased coverage use in 2026, Werner has never been a great coverage backer; he’s more of an “I’ll make the tackle right after the catch” type of LB.
Werner is under contract through 2027 with no guaranteed salary. The Saints might want to keep him, as they don’t have an obvious replacement, but could also try and sell high on his upticked play this year and hope for a 4th/5th round pick in return.
Other positions
Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Raiders–Once upon an NFL Draft, JPJ was a hot commodity amongst Lions fans, as well as the Detroit Lions Podcast. At times, Powers-Johnson has looked like a capable starting NFL guard who can also play at center, a la Detroit’s own Juice Scruggs. But he’s had far too many negative plays, missed assignments, and it’s cost him his starting role.
The Lions don’t really need him in 2026, but Powers-Johnson could make for an interesting reclamation project if the acquisition cost is low enough. As it was with Scruggs, who has likely played his way into a starting job elsewhere in 2027. Good breakdown of Powers-Johnson here, via The Athletic.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Panthers–A fourth-round pick from Texas in 2024, Sanders has been a healthy scratch this entire season. As a rookie, the 235-pounder caught 33 of his 43 passing targets. He’s a receiving specialist-only type of TE with legit NFL experience, signed through next season, who could probably be had for a conditional 7th-rounder. Might not help at all in 2026 but could prove worth the minor investment down the road. Remember: the Lions do not have a single TE under contract beyond this season.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers–compactly built No. 2/No. 3 running back with proven pass-catching ability, Vidal posted over 600 rushing yards in 2025. The 25-year-old is a pending restricted free agent and has an impressive career rate of forcing missed tackles (17.7 percent). He’s a better reserve RB option than the Lions could possibly hope for drafting with a late Day 3 pick in 2027.
Anyone to sell?
I would not expect the Lions to openly shop any of the players on their roster. However, Detroit does have relatively strong depth at a few spots that could wind up being useful in place of parting with a draft pick, or lessening the pick needed to complete a deal. Two players specifically come to mind:
Miles Frazier: The second-year reserve OL isn’t even the primary backup at any spot. Frazier just hasn’t found his footing as a 2025 fifth-round pick out of LSU. He’s had flashes in training camps, when healthy, primarily playing right tackle. Feels like Frazier could be an odd-man-out type of player that other teams would value more than Detroit has to this point.
Mekhi Wingo: Another recent Day 3 LSU draftee who is a fixture on the weekly healthy scratch list, Wingo’s potential role as a pass rush specialist who can play anywhere between the 3T and 7T has effectively been usurped by rookie Skyler Gill-Howard, who has played quite well in that role and offers higher potential to do more. The Lions seem higher on Tyler Lacy in that role than Wingo, too.
