The Detroit Lions check most of the boxes of what an NFL Super Bowl contender looks like, but the last two seasons have been frustrating, to say the least. Despite a 15-2 season in 2024, the Lions limped into the playoffs with a plethora of injuries on defense and lost in the Divisional Round.
The injuries kept up in 2025 as well. After a solid 7-4 start, the Lions only managed to win two of their final six games, missing the playoffs entirely. The secondary, of note, has been hit the hardest, and until something changes, the 2026 season could again be a year where injuries and overall underperformance become common.
Well, while nothing is 'official' at this point, a very interesting report dropped from NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Thursday, perhaps indicating there is a last-second fix for what the Lions need the most.
The Detroit Lions need CB help, and the Steelers could have that help
Obviously, Terrion Arnold is out of the picture, and Ennis Rakestraw left practice on Thursday with a non-contact leg injury. While that injury doesn't appear to be serious, the Lions' CB room is still on fumes, but there does seem to be a non-zero chance that Joey Porter Jr could get traded:
#Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. is a name multiple teams around the NFL have wondered about as a potential trade target, per sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 21, 2026
JPJ is in the final year of his rookie contract, and with where the CB market is, teams have wondered if Pittsburgh could ultimately be open to a… pic.twitter.com/0t1CX9laOQ
Now wouldn't this be something? The fourth-year CB was a second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Through three seasons, he's started 41 games and has three interceptions, 31 passes defended, and a 71.2 passer rating when in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference.
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There does seem to be a bit of a contract stand-off with Porter and the Steelers, and with Devon Witherspoon getting a huge deal recently by the Seattle Seahawks, things might currently be more complicated with Pittsburgh and their stud CB.
As of now, there are five CBs who make at least $30 million per season, and with Porter being among the best in the league, there's reason to believe he'd want to reach that per-year mark. Detroit would have enough cap space to facilitate such a deal, and with the team clearly being in a Super Bowl window, even if it's closing, acquiring someone like Porter would open that window up a bit more.
With the Steelers being in a position where they're at least trying to compete this year, it might seem insane to think that they'd trade their best CB, but we're now nearly at September, and there is no deal in sight.
Detroit has enough NFL Draft capital to make a strong enough offer, and could even throw a player or two in the deal if needed. When you look at the urgency of where the Lions are at right now, an aggressive trade like this would make a ton of sense. This team won 45 games over the past four seasons, including 27 in the 2023 and 2024 years.
They were within one game of the Super Bowl in 2023 and may have gotten there in 2024 had it not been for mounting defensive injuries. Furthermore, look at what the Los Angeles Rams did this offseason - they not only swung a major deal for a CB in Trent McDuffie, but they also signed a teammate of his in Jaylen Watson, totally revamping a room that was previously weak.
The Rams also swung a mega-deal for Myles Garrett. What is nice is that General Manager Brad Holmes was previously with the Rams franchise before getting hired by the Lions, so perhaps he does have some of that aggression in him, as a potential deal for Porter would fall right in line with that mindset.
If there is even a 1 percent chance of this trade happening, Holmes needs to get on the phone and figure out a way to make the deal happen.
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