One game does not mean something that was a problem for all of last season is fully solved. But in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions' pass rush put plenty of heat on Matthew Stafford. And it was not just Aidan Hutchinson getting it done, as Marcus Davenport and Levi Onwuzurike also had nice outings.
Davenport has to stay healthy and prove he can be a consistent force opposite Hutchinson going forward. If he does, the problem the Lions had with non-Hutchison edge rushers last year will largely not be one. If he can't measure up, or stay on the field, then there will be a re-assessment and general manager Brad Holmes won't be able to sit on his hands before the trade deadline.
Upon the idea Haason Reddick was looking to be traded by the Philadelphia Eagles early in the offseason, the Lions made sense as a potential suitor. The New York Jets made the move to acquire him, and through a botched situation where they didn't give him the contract he wants they have yet to see him on the practice field, or now in the one game they've played.
With all that's gone on between him and the Jets, Reddick is now a headache a lot of other teams (including the Lions) won't take on. At this point, he's not in "football shape" either.
Lions somehow, again, named a possible trade suitor for Haason Reddick
Reddick sits as the No. 1 player on the Week 2 Trade Block Big Board from Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox. Knox has the Lions and the Arizona Cardinals as two potential suitors for Reddick.
"The Lions... should be interested in adding a high-end complement opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit's defense looked solid against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but with their Super Bowl window just opening, the Lions shouldn't be afraid to add more difference-makers if the opportunity to do so arises."
Reddick has been among the most productive pass rushers in the league over the last four seasons, with 50.5 total sacks over that span. But there's more to his situation than that, and just because the Lions could give him a new contract (as Knox mentioned) doesn't mean they should. Or that they would, which in itself would stop a trade from happening.
The time the Lions made any sense as a trade suitor for Reddick was fairly short-lived, before the Jets made the move to get him, and it was months ago. Maybe things change by the time the trade deadline is closer, but if the Lions find themselves in the market for another edge rusher, Reddick will be well down the list of options to pursue. If he's on the list at all.