We will never know how this Detroit Lions team would have looked like had they successfully traded for Joey Porter Jr. earlier this year.
It's what left a bit of hope in Lions fans' heads about the chance at landing another cornerback at the trade deadline. If Detroit saw the need for a true CB2 then, why wouldn't they still go for one now?
Well, they didn't. Maybe it wasn't for lack of trying - it takes two teams to tango, and the Lions can't simply ask for a cornerback and receive one. But, it just continues the trend of quiet trade deadlines under general manager Brad Holmes, who has only made a big splash after Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg.
Another season of wondering 'what if?' if the Lions don't get farther than an NFC Championship game.
Lions FO just remained quiet yet again
Detroit did shore up their safety depth, which is a good thing, with the trade for Andre Cisco. Cisco is a decent backup to Branch and Chuck Clark, and can hopefully provide fresh legs if Kerby Joseph can't go this year. We can't knock this move, especially for the price - a 2028 6th rounder.
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But, it was obvious that Detroit could use help in their secondary. Cornerback is the biggest need for them, and it's tough to say they can rely on an improved unit to remain strong against better competition. We're going off a sample size that includes a Minnesota Vikings team pre-Kirk Cousins trade, and a Miami Dolphins team that's ethically tanking.
It's especially hard to see no movement when two other teams in the same division did make significant additions - the Vikings with Cousins, and the Chicago Bears with Jeffrey Simmons. The Green Bay Packers are, in a way, getting Micah Parsons as an "addition" back to the roster, too. And the Lions...like their guys.
What trade deadline means for Lions' CB depth chart
With no moves at cornerback, the Lions are likely to continue to use D.J. Reed, Roger McCreary, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. as their main starters, with snaps divvied up between them, Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside, and Khalil Dorsey.
Are the Lions good enough in the aggregate to create one, solid defense? Maybe! They've been improving in recent weeks, as I mentioned, and have gone away from the zone coverage that was relentlessly biting them to begin the year.
They'll need to see continued improvement from Rakestraw to really make a quiet deadline more digestible, though. As one of their most recent top cornerback picks, he has to hit for them in some way.
Same goes for their recent signing and elevation of linebacker K.J. Britt, who at this point, will be the only addition to the roster at linebacker since Jack Campbell's unfortunate neck injury.
A lot of hoping on the margins for the Lions, which means it's a day that ends in Y.
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