There are still a few weeks before the NFL’s trade deadline, which hits in 2025 on November 4th. That’s just after the Lions play the Vikings in Week 9, coming out of the Week 8 bye.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter published a list of players that he reports “NFL front office executives and coaches believe could be available ahead of this year’s trade deadline.” No Lions are on the list, as expected; Detroit is a legit Super Bowl contender and not in a position to sell off any talent.
As far as Detroit being a buyer, it’s plausible that GM Brad Holmes will dip a toe into the market again. He did so last year, acquiring EDGE Za’Darius Smith to help bolster an injury-depleted lineup. That trade with the Browns, which saw Detroit send a 2025 5th-round pick and 2026 6th-rounder to Cleveland for Smith and a 7th-round pick in 2026, is the scale of trade that could get the Lions to push the trade button again ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.
There are a handful of names on Schefter’s list that make some sense as potential Lions targets. These would be focused on injury fill-ins at thin spots on the Lions depth chart right now, namely defensive back, offensive line and EDGE.
Cameron Jordan, Saints DL
Jordan is effectively the prototype of defensive end the Lions want opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He might be 36 years old, but the venerable veteran is still effectively rushing the passer for the Saints. The lifelong Saints DE/DL is in the final year of his contract. Ending his career with a shot at a Super Bowl in Detroit would be a nice story, if he’s up for leaving the team that made him a first-round pick back in 2011.
Joel Bitonio, Browns LG
Bitonio is a Pro Bowl fixture in Cleveland, an 11-year starter at left guard. Much like his old Browns RG running mate–and former Lions RG–Kevin Zeitler, Bitonio simply doesn’t lose on reps. He might not have sexy rep wins, but he always gets the job done as one of the most durable presences in the league. He’s dabbled at left tackle but is an elite guard. The 34-year-old is in the final year of his contract, though the Browns have 4 void seasons of dead cap room to eat. This would seem to be an option if and only if the Lions suffer an injury to the interior offensive line in the next two games.
Roger McCreay, Titans CB
The Titans just fired their head coach and could be looking to sell off pieces that won’t be in Nashville long-term. That’s McCreary, the team’s primary slot CB for the last four seasons. He’s got ball skills and can play special teams, traits the Lions definitely look for in reserve DBs. He’s never been a particularly good run defender or tackler, however. Like the players above, the 25-year-old McCreary is in the final year of his contract.
Riq Woolen, Seahawks CB
Woolen has already expressed his desire to exit Seattle after losing his starting job. He’s on an expiring contract and the Seahawks brass has shown no interest in keeping the 26-year-old long-term. The size and man coverage preference certainly fit the Lions scheme, though his tepid run defense and atrocious tackling (6 missed tackles in 5 games in 2025, currently out with a concussion) are not good fits at all. What’s left of Woolen’s $5.4 million contract would eat into the Lions cap room that needs to get rolled over to help pay for internal extensions, too. Still, Woolen has some definite appeal as an emergency short-term fill-in, albeit an expensive one.
Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins EDGEBradley Chubb, Dolphins EDGE
The two Dolphins pass rushers get lumped together here, with Miami 1-5 and in obvious locker room disarray.
Phillips is on the final year of his contract, and it pays him over $13 million. Asking Detroit to absorb what’s left of that is almost certainly cost-prohibitive for the Lions, though it could conceivably also lower what it takes to get the talented but oft-injured Phillips out of Miami. He’s a straight pass-rush specialist at this point, which curbs any trade enthusiasm.
Chubb leads Miami with four sacks in six games, and he was the most effective Dolphins defender during the two joint practices in Detroit over the summer. Trading for Chubb requires a serious investment; he’s got two more years on a contract that pays him a cap hit of over $31 million in each of those seasons, between salaries and guaranteed bonuses. He’d be a long-term solution as the starter opposite Hutchinson, and the Dolphins would expect commensurate trade return (read as: dream another dream).
Keion White, Patriots DL
New England tweaked their defensive scheme under new head coach Mike Vrabel, and that has left the 2023 second-rounder (taken one pick after Brian Branch) without a defined role. Other than being an inch taller, White is a near physical clone of injured Lions DL Levi Onwuzurike and plays the hybrid DE/DT role with a similar style, too. White does have another year on his rookie contract, and he offers some real special teams experience. Detroit currently has Tyler Lacy in that role, and he’s played capably, so moving anything for White seems unlikely.
Any moves seem unlikely, given the better (compared to 2024) health condition of the Lions team and the desire to roll over as much cap room as possible. But last year’s move to acquire Smith shows that Holmes and the Lions could be willing to try.