Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph recently posted a picture to his Instagram that showed him receiving acupuncture treatment on his knee. This is the most recent information we've gotten on his knee injury, which kept him sidelined for almost the entirety of the Lions' 9-8 2025 season.
With his knee's health a bit up in the air, and as Brian Branch is likely out for much of the 2026 season after tearing his Achilles late last year, Detroit's a bit worse for wear in their safety room. Avonte Maddox is an option for them to re-sign this offseason, but outside of him, they're staring at a depth chart featuring Maddox and a lot of practice squad call-ups.
Free agency, the trade market, and even the draft can serve as openings for the Lions to address those two huge holes on their defense. The trade market, specifically, just got an intriguing name added to the mix, with the Miami Dolphins reportedly shopping Minkah Fitzpatrick.
How can the Lions get in the mix to land the five-time Pro Bowler? Well, it'll likely be quite easy for them to do so, considering Miami is probably seeking mid-round pick compensation to help continue to facilitate their rebuild.
Mock trade sends Fitzpatrick to Detroit for mid-round pick pool
Detroit has no 3rd round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, but that could change depending on moves Brad Holmes is ready to make before the draft begins. It'd be nice if they could somehow get back in there as a means of sending that pick to Miami to make this work, but as of now, the best they could do is a Day 3 pick this year, and a Day 2 pick next year.
The Lions, in return, would receive a 30 year-old safety who managed to play in 15 games for the Dolphins this past season. Fitzpatrick finished up with one interception, one forced fumble, and six passes defended over that stretch, with his last season featuring more than five interceptions forced coming back in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Miami might balk at this since they're probably looking to snag a Day 2 pick. Again, the Lions could do some finagling on draft night to make that happen, if the Dolphins are willing to wait that long to ship him out. But, they're likely not going to do better than a 3rd-rounder for him.
Other interested teams could potentially include the Lions' NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. Both are in need of safety depth, as well, with Chicago in more of a contending state than Minnesota.
Fitzpatrick will be a free agent in 2027, so he'd be a one-year rental for the Lions and, therefore, a low cost starting safety option for them if Joseph is unable to go in 2026. At the bare minimum, he's a solid safety to slot in for Branch, who we know for a fact won't be ready Week 1.