There's a clear hole on the Detroit Lions' roster that was somewhat addressed this offseason, and another less-glaring, but still important, hole that hasn't been invested in enough.
While the team added D.J. Wonnum and Derrick Moore as their top options to replace Al-Quadin Muhammad at the EDGE2 spot, they didn't do much to fill the spot left behind by quarterback Kyle Allen, who left for the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Detroit signed Teddy Bridgewater in response to Allen's departure, and they also signed UDFA Luke Altmyer. Both will be battling for the QB2 spot behind Jared Goff, with both backups hopefully remaining just backups for the 2026 season. Of course, you can't bank on Goff's guaranteed health, even with an improved offensive line. It makes that backup spot even more important.
ESPN's Dan Graziano recently wrote up a piece on 10 players that could be trade targets during the 2026 season. Two names that might interest the Lions were listed: Josh Sweat and Spencer Rattler.
Lions should take a look at Rattler, Sweat on trade market
As reported on by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Sweat is allegedly nowhere close to being traded by the Arizona Cardinals. You could argue this was just a means of carrying water for someone with the Cardinals, but even without taking that into account, you can never say never regarding disgruntled defenders looking for a change in scenery. See: Myles Garrett, and almost Maxx Crosby.
Acquiring Sweat would probably require some beloved draft capital from the Lions front office, but the return would be a sack artist who could immediately impact Detroit's defensive presence up front alongside Aidan Hutchinson. Also, as noted by Graziano in his piece:
"An acquiring team would take on a guaranteed $17 million in 2027 compensation for Sweat, and none of the remaining years or money on his contract is guaranteed after that. That's a good deal for a player such as Sweat and should result in decent outside interest."
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As for Rattler, the package to acquire him would probably be far less than whatever's needed for Sweat.
It feels like the New Orleans Saints' quarterback room is set, with Tyler Shough having done enough in 2025 to show that he could run the offense pretty solidly. Zach Wilson was also signed this offseason by the Saints, and he feels like a decent enough QB2 option for New Orleans to lean on if they parted ways with Rattler.
If the Lions are for whatever reason unimpressed by Altmyer in OTAs and offseason workouts, then Rattler should be heavily considered by Brad Holmes and the Lions as a cheap backup option on the trade market. However, based on head coach Dan Campbell's latest comments regarding Altmyer, it doesn't sound like he's ready to bow out of the QB2 competition just yet.
Dan Campbell on #Lions rookie QB Luke Altmyer: "He doesn't lack confidence, that's for sure."
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) June 4, 2026
"What we thought he would be at this point, I would say, has kinda held true...able to retain the information we've given him...feel like he's getting a little bit better every day."
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