Trade proposal lands Lions defensive tackle Michael Brockers in the AFC West

The Detroit Lions may move Michael Brockers for almost anything before Tuesday’s trade deadline, and a recent proposal sends him west.

After a decline in snaps recently, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Michael Brockers was a healthy scratch in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Dan Campbell offered all the expected sentiment the day after the game, but it’s safe to assume Week 7 won’t be Brockers’ only healthy scratch over the rest of this season if he remains a Lion.

Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger (subscription required) recently had Brockers on his list of nine defensive players who could be moved before the Nov. 1 trade deadline. He noted how the Rams traded Brockers to the Lions in 2021 in what amounted to a salary dump for a late-round pick, which is exactly what the Lions would be doing now.

Brockers surely wants to play, and there may be teams interested in adding a veteran to their defensive line.

Trade proposal lands Michael Brockers in the AFC West

Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network put together a list of 10 trades that make sense before the deadline. The last deal on the list puts Brockers on a new team.

"Chargers acquire: DT Michael BrockersLions acquire: 2025 seventh-round pickAfter ranking as one of the league’s worst run defenses in 2021, the Chargers made free agent investments at defensive tackle. They signed Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson to multi-year contracts, but they can’t be happy with the performances they’ve received thus far."

The Chargers do indeed have a bad run defense again this season. They’re 25th in the league by raw rushing yardage allowed (137.6 per game) and tied for the worst by yards per carry (5.7 allowed). Expected points added (29th) and Football Outsiders’ DVOA (25th) are also not kind to them as a run defense.

How much Brockers would actually help that cause is debatable. But Robinson reminded us of the tie he has to Chargers’ head coach Brandon Staley, who was the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2020.

The Lions would probably take a bag of footballs for Brockers if it came to that (kidding of course), and it’s possible they’ll release him (at his request?) in the coming weeks. So a future seventh-round pick will be fine as a return in a trade, if it can be gotten.