On Monday, as trade speculation naturally ramps up on the idea the Detroit Lions need to do something to add an edge rusher, head coach Dan Campbell knew what he was doing when he grinned after being asked if a trade was imminent in the next 24 hours.
When asked a subsequent question along the same line, the visual was priceless.
Question: “Do you feel there’s anything imminent on the trade front in the next 24 hours?”
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 28, 2024
Dan Campbell: “Yeah, could be.”
Question: “No, seriously...”
Campbell: “Could be.” pic.twitter.com/4g8Hgc1N3b
During Campbell's weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning, trade speculation and some of his vibe during his press conference on Monday were sure to be intertwined topics.
So did Campbell's response to the questioning about an imminent trade mean anything?
"Yeah, well, no. Dave (Birkett, of the Detroit Free Press) asked me a question and I answer it, and then he wouldn't take that answer," Campbell said. "So I just jumped up and down with the same answer. That's literally all that was. Yeah, you guys are wasting energy."
Dan Campbell acknowledges a trade may or may not happen
It's too easy to overreact to what Campbell seemed to say with his body language on Monday. He ultimately wouldn't say anything dramatic one way or the other publicly about a possible trade when the search for viable options and/or talks may be ongoing, and on Tuesday morning he got down to the brass tacks regarding a trade.
"Honestly we’re still looking into it," Campbell said. "It’s not like this has stopped. Don’t forget, some of these really good players or players that you think can help, if they’re good, most teams won’t let them go. And so we’re working through all of that, Brad (Holmes is) doing a great job and this continues."
"And look, maybe it happens, maybe it doesn’t. I honestly don’t know, I feel like it changes every day. We’ll just take it as it comes, and like I say, this is the squad, and this is the squad we’re going to get ready to play every week."
So maybe the Lions will make a trade for an edge rusher between now and next Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, or maybe they won't. That's where things have been since Aidan Hutchinson was injured, as options are being looked at. Campbell playfully jumping up and down on Monday did not move that needle at all, even if some people automatically want to think it did.