2. Trade for Broncos CB Patrick Surtain
Despite a win in Week 7 the Broncos are still an ugly mess, with plenty of players who could be elsewhere by next Tuesday. Surtain seems to be one player who is off-limits in trade discussions, but per Charles Robinson it's fair to assume they're getting plenty of calls about him. Robinson also reported the price to get Surtain (high, as expected).
"But also intriguing because the veteran almost any team in the league would want — cornerback Pat Surtain II — is the one asset that would be almost impossible to pry loose. So much so that I believe anything less than two first-round picks plus another asset wouldn’t even start a conversation."
With the condition of their cornerback depth chart right now, after Jerry Jacobs missed the loss to the Ravens with a late-week knee injury, the Lions could be among the teams calling around to add someone at the position.
1. Trade for Panthers DE Brian Burns
The 0-6 Panthers are in full-blown sell-mode, and Burns looks like their most appealing player for contending teams among a long list of players who could be moved. He is in the last year of his contract, and there hasn't seemed to be any real traction on an extension to keep him in Carolina.
Acquiring Burns naturally comes with the idea of giving him that lucrative contract extension. But he is also just 25 years old, with at least nine sacks in each of the last three full seasons, two straight Pro Bowl selections and four sacks in six games so far this season.
The Panthers turned down an offer of two first-round picks from the Los Angeles Rams for Burns at last year's trade deadline. They may not get that now, but one first-round pick would be the starting point of an offer for Burns.
For what it's worth, Robinson added more intel tying the Lions to Burns, with some broader trade deadline sentiment.
"And one team that has been doing some work on Carolina Panthers edge Brian Burns seemed to think Detroit could be a trade rival for his services. This also might be the only team that makes sense in a blowout offer for Surtain, given how it would fit Detroit’s future salary stack on defense."
"It would be more surprising if the Lions did nothing at all."