As last year's trade deadline approached, with Aidan Hutchinson out, it's not an understatement to say the Detroit Lions were desperately in the market for an edge rusher. Za'Darius Smith pretty quickly surfaced as a fit, and on deadline day he was acquired from the Cleveland Browns.
Dating back to the start of last offseason, there has been a lot of bandwidth and digital ink spent on the Lions and the edge rusher position. Waiving Smith and re-signing Marcus Davenport immediately landed as not enough.
As could have been foreseen, Davenport got hurt again and he missed the last five games going into the bye week due to a chest injury. According to Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, head coach Dan Campbell said Davenport probably won't be ready to return until late-November.
Hutchinson is back in his previous form, with a vengeance. Al-Quadin Muhammad has emerged as a force on the opposite edge, but his career track record invites wondering if he'll be able to keep it up.
Heading into Week 7, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Lions are "making calls, looking for an edge rusher." No names were mentioned, if Russini had that information, but that sentiment landed as surprising given the way general manager Brad Holmes talked about the process to acquire Smith.
NFL insider names a name the Detroit Lions could be targeting on the trade market
Also heading into the bulk of Week 7's action, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports named someone the Lions could be eyeing on the trade market.
"One name I could absolutely see getting dealt is edge rusher Arden Key. I'm keeping an eye on the Lions and 49ers. Detroit had strong interest in Key in the pre-draft process, and the Niners had Key in 2021."
Through five games for the Tennessee Titans this season (he has missed the last two due to a quad injury), Key has 1.5 sacks and nine quarterback pressures over 166 defensive snaps. It's also fair to say pass rushing opportunities have been diminished by being on one of the worst teams in the league, as he has also played a lower snap share than he has in his two full seasons as a Titan.
In three of his last four full seasons, Key has posted as least six sacks.
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Key was drafted in 2018, so Jones' note about the Lions having strong interest in him during the pre-draft process is irrelevant to the current regime. Reporting the Los Angeles Rams had interest in him back then, when Holmes was the director of college scouting for them, would have been more relevant.
In the final year of his contract, and with an acquiring team picking up a prorated portion of his $6.5 base salary, something like $3 million if/when he is traded, Key lands in the wheelhouse of edge rushers the Lions would most likely trade for. The Titans are also not in position to get more than a Day 3 draft pick for him, and the Lions have two 2026 sixth-round picks.
It's possible the Lions are no longer seriously in the market for pass rush help. But Key would fit in a rotational edge rusher role, and the low cost attached to him refines the fit as the Titans prepare to be a trade deadline seller.