For the first time in a long time, the Detroit Lions have a deep roster. That's obviously a credit to the work general manager Brad Holmes has done, and what the coaching staff has done to develop a bevy of young players.
At this point, moving toward the third and final preseason game, you could probably write about 45 players in ink for a Lions' 53-man roster projection looking toward the start of the season. Maybe a few more even. There will be some tough decisions made in getting down from 90 to 53 players by cutdown time on Aug. 29, and maybe even a few surprising cuts. The third preseason game, and this week leading up to it, will be important for some people.
On a different tangent, the Lions could have some players other teams are willing to trade for as they make their own roster tweaks and try reinforce weak areas before the season starts. Trades can be a slipper slope, since you can never have enough depth in a contact sport (or as Mike Ditka once called it, a "collision" sport). But some players just won't have prominent roles, and division of 53 players across all positions won't allow room for everyone.
So as cutdown day approaches and Week 1 coming after that, here are four Lions players who could be traded.
4 Detroit Lions who could be traded as cutdown day and Week 1 near
4. Romeo Okwara
Okwara played a team-high 44 defensive snaps in the preseason opener against the Giants, and he had a nice showing (one sack, six pressures). How much would play in the second preseason game against the Jaguars became a question after he missed last Thursday's practice, but he did not seem to be injured according to Campbell's comments after that day's work.
Well, that question was answered. Okwara played the most defensive snaps of the Lions' front-seven players (47), with three total tackles and no pass rush stats (though he did draw a holding penalty on a nice rush).
There's a solid argument that Okwara simply needs to play after having his last two seasons wrecked by a torn Achilles. But there's another potential angle he is being tepidly showcased for a trade, and until he's on the Lions' roster heading into Week 1 that's slightly more than reckless speculation.
3. Julian Okwara
The younger Okwara responded to Campbell calling him out with three sacks in the preseason opener. But he needed to keep that momentum going in Week 2 against Jacksonville, and he registered one quarterback hit and no other stats over 45 defensive snaps. Going deeper, he posted the second-worst Pro Football Focus grade among Lions' defensive players (45.4).
Sometimes, where there's smoke there's fire. Colton Pouncy of The Athletic (subscription required) offered the idea the Lions could trade Okwara for a late-round pick in his 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game.
After the second preseason game, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) did much the same in his 53-man roster projection.
"The Lions have more depth across the board defensively than they’ve had in years and that’s particularly true with the edge rush/defensive line group,”“I had 11 linemen making my roster last week and think there are even more worthy candidates, but putting a roster together is a numbers game in many ways; that may be too many bigs to keep. Julian Okwara could be the odd edge rusher out, though maybe general manager Brad Holmes has a trade up his sleeve.”"Dave Birkett
Okwara should get plenty of run again in Friday's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, as he tries to make his case to make the roster. A showing like he had in the first preseason game could bring calls from other teams just as much as it could push him off the roster bubble. Look no further than two very good Lions' beat reporters to fuel the idea he could be traded.
2. CB Will Harris
Early in camp Campbell lauded Harris as a player who helps him "sleep good at night" (h/t to Ben Raven of MLive).
"I love Will Harris. I do, and -- because he is. He’s a pro. He’s a pro. He’s a vet,” “You don’t have to worry about Will.Dan Campbell
“Will’s going to be where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. He’s a four-corps guy for us. He’s played safety. He can play nickel. He can play outside corner. And he’s just steady and reliable. He’s dependable, man. He’s always going to be there for you and that’s one of the biggest reasons that help -- guys like him help you sleep good at night.”""
Harris has found something of a home at cornerback over the last couple years. Ideally he's not going to be a prominent part of the secondary though, and he showed why often while facing Jacksonville's depth receivers in the second preseason game.
It's easy to dismiss the idea of trading Harris, if only on the notions of another team would have to be sufficiently interested and how much the Lions' coaching staff apparently likes him. But lesser talents with less perceived value get traded late in preseasons, so there's a non-zero chance it happens here.
1. RB Craig Reynolds
Now let's get a little bit nuts.
On one hand, Reynolds seemed to lock down the No. 3 running back spot by playing the entire first half against the Jaguars. It was difficult for him to find running room behind lackluster blocking (eight carries for 13 yards). But he also had four catches for 29 yards, on a team-high six targets, and he averaged 1.81 yards per route run according to Pro Football Focus (tied for ninth among running backs with at least two targets in Week 2 of the preseason).
On the other hand, Reynolds is absolutely still competing for a roster spot, let alone the RB3 job. After the Jacksonville game, John Maakaron of SI.com pointed to the possibly still tenuous situation for Reynolds.
""Reynolds is only slightly ahead of Benny Snell and Jermar Jefferson and will need a solid week to remain on the roster. ""
Reynolds looked solid when he had to step in as the Lions' lead back a couple seasons ago. In some way, his exclusive run for the whole first half against the Jaguars was weird. Snell, Jefferson and Devine Ozigbo are also competing for one or two roster spots, and opportunities presumably were to come their ways before they did in the game (and Ozigbo did not play an offensive snap). It's faint praise and has to be kept in proper context, but Jefferson and Snell both averaged more yards per carry than Reynolds against the Jaguars.
Was Reynolds being showcased for a potential trade against the Jaguars? The quick, easy answer is probably not, but it's not out of the question either.