While it's extremely rare to see an offensive lineman get dealt at the deadline, we saw just that ahead of this year's deadline. Except, it didn't happen to the benefit of the Detroit Lions, but to the benefit of the Los Angeles Chargers, instead.
Benefit is a strong word, though. Trevor Penning was traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Chargers, adding a left guard to their line that's in desperate need of depth following multiple injuries. Penning has a PFF grade of 50.4 this season, and isn't exactly a premier pass protector. That's what the Chargers need for Justin Herbert, and they simply didn't get that.
You may be wondering why the Lions didn't at least make a smaller trade for a lineman, like the Chargers did. Well, that could be explained by a very interestingly timed tweet from rookie guard Miles Frazier, who has yet to suit up for the Lions this season due to injury:
🙏🏽
— BIG.ZEEK_ (@MilesFrazier) November 4, 2025
Rookie guard has interestingly timed post after Lions trade deadline comes and goes
Frazier hasn't suited up this season thanks to a knee injury that's kept him on the sideline. The rookie could provide some much needed depth on the offensive line this season if he can come back sooner rather than later. His availability could also be a huge clue as to why Brad Holmes decided to remain seated during this year's deadline.
Of course, there's also the trouble of landing a player with an expiring contract that fits the Lions' timeline. With so many extensions due to be handled ahead of the 2026 season, Detroit had to take into consideration the kind of contract they'd be eating in any trade, even for a lineman. That's another roadblock that the front office probably couldn't overcome.
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While Frazier has shown promise, it's hard to swallow that Holmes might have seen his health as something worth betting on as a good solution to protecting Jared Goff. As of now, the team seems poised to reshuffle their line to bring up Trystan Colon and Kingsley Eguakun ahead of Week 10, which isn't very inspiring.
Holmes has to hope that Frazier can both come back healthy soon and perform to the Lions' standard. If not, Detroit just saw another critical trade deadline pass them by without addressing a key issue in their trenches.