How active the Detroit Lions will be in the trade market is unclear, but an ESPN trade proposal has them parting with cornerback Amani Oruwariye.
Coming off a breakout season in 2021 (six interceptions), Detroit Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye lined himself for a nice contract extension heading into the final year of his rookie contract.
But through four weeks this season, Oruwariye was Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded cornerback in the league. Then in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, he was a healthy scratch as head coach Dan Campbell noted, essentially, how he wouldn’t be a special teams contributor and if he isn’t playing heavy defensive snaps his value is nil.
Oruwariye probably needed a mental break as much as a physical one, as he missed Week 2 with a back injury and it’s worth wondering if he’s been healthy since. Coming out of the bye week this week, he will be among the Lions’ players with a lot of eyes on him as his early-season performance literally can’t get any worse based on PFF grade.
Trade proposal has Lions swapping Amani Oruwariye for a former first-round pick
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell (subscription required) recently made a list of 15 NFL trade proposals before the Nov. 1 deadline. One involved the Lions sending Oruwariye to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell.
"The Lions would be taking a shot on evaluating Ferrell as a rotational defensive end for what has been a horrible defense. In his place, they’d send Oruwariye to the Raiders.I thought he was a revelation last season and looked to be a building block for the Lions, but he has struggled in 2022 and was a healthy scratch last week against the Patriots.As a free agent after this season, Oruwariye’s future seems to be elsewhere, and the Raiders are perpetually in need of more help at cornerback.”"
Ferrell was a reach by the Raiders’ previous regime with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft. Roster bubble and trade speculation has easily followed him after his fifth-year option was not picked up, and he has yet to play 30 snaps in a game this season. Not that he deserves a ton of playing time, with eight career sacks and just 3.5 of those since his rookie season. But he is a solid run defender, and the Lions could certainly use one of those along the defensive line.
The Lions would be selling low on Oruwariye right now. Not that they’d even trade him to further thin their cornerback depth chart, unless they acquired someone else in a separate trade.
But if he gets back on the field after the bye and rebounds toward his 2021 level, the idea of trading Oruwariye before the deadline isn’t completely ridiculous.