The Detroit Lions were able to pull-out a 31-26 victory over the Giants on Sunday. But the price might be high after losing another starting safety.
The Detroit Lions made some noise this past week while preparing to take on the New York Giants Sunday. The Lions traded away promising safety and team captain Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks along with a 2021 seventh-round selection for a fifth-round pick in 2020.
The shocking move sent the Lions starting safety to Seattle and left the Motor City with questionable depth moving forward. Unfortunately for Detroit, that depth would be immediately tested against the G-Men. Although the Lions would come out victorious, 31-26, in the pivotal Week Eight contest, Detroit would not emerge unscathed.
During the game, starting safety Tracy Walker suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return. If Walker is forced to miss any significant time due to the injury, it would be a significant blow to Detroit’s secondary.
Walker led the Lions’ in total tackles with 50 coming into Sunday’s matchup versus the Giants. And his 43 solo tackles were tied for the fourth-highest in the league going into the weekend. Against New York, Walker would still record six solo tackles and a pass defend.
A third-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Walker has blossomed into a budding defensive superstar in his second season in Detroit. Highly-rated despite his limited snaps as a rookie, the 24-year old assumed the full-time starting gig after the Lions opted to part ways with veteran Glover Quin in the offseason. And he’s been a stalwart for this defense from the jump.
Without Tracy Walker, the Detroit Lions will rely on safeties Tavon Wilson, Will Harris, C.J. Moore, and Miles Killebrew to replace his production. Cornerback Mike Ford might also be shifted over to safety if needed. But the fact the Lions just traded Quandre Diggs for next to nothing only to have Walker suffer an injury afterward simply highlights the questionable nature of the trade itself.