If you somehow didn’t hear the news already, the Pittsburgh Steelers have traded former second-round draft pick Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. And while I am not among the fans hitting the panic button, more than five weeks prior to the NFL’s 2026 trade deadline, I certainly wouldn’t have minded adding a player like Porter Jr.
With that said, in-season trades are difficult to pull off for a myriad of reasons. To start, you
have to find a team that is willing to part with a player that, in most cases, can help them in the present—meaning the selling team is not concerned about its roster taking a temporary stepback after trading away a productive player. This requires a front office to have some pretty warm and fuzzy feelings in regards to their overall job security. Rarely is a coach or general manager going to be happy about making their roster worse when they are trying to save their jobs.
Adding draft picks to use in the next couple of NFL drafts? Fun!
Adding draft picks for your replacement to use when you are looking for another job? Not as much fun!
Secondly, the financial aspect of the deal has to make sense for both sides. For instance, let’s say there is a young, established player that just signed a lucrative extension in the offseason. In this example, if the team starts off performing below expectations, they may elect to focus on future assets rather than their current roster. While they may now be looking beyond 2026, trading this example player likely would harm the organization from a salary cap standpoint. Especially so if they have a lot of guarantees tied to the contract, resulting in potentially a chunk of dead salary cap that the team has to eat in the following league year.
You get the picture: some players are just not for sale.
There are a lot of variables at play to make an in-season trade work. And while it is still too early to definitively say which teams will be looking to sell and which ones won’t, myself and my good friend Anthony Balaj have put together a list for Lions fans to keep their eyes on until the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Furthermore, we have decided to include both cornerbacks and safeties as defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s scheme relies heavily on sound safety play. Depth at both positions are arguably thin when considering 2026 and beyond.
Cornerbacks
- Greg Newsome II (26), New York Giants.Currently on a one-year contract: Like the Panthers, the Giants are really banged up at the moment. And since coach John Harbaugh is in his first year at the helm for New York, we could see them being sellers at the deadline if they continue to drop games. Newsome is a former first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 NFL Draft. Listed at 6-foot and 192 pounds, Newsome has prototype size at the position.
- Garrett Williams (25), Arizona Cardinals. Currently in the final year of his rookie contract: Originally a third-round selection by the Cardinals in 2023, Williams could be someone the Cardinals look to recoup some draft pick compensation from if the new regime is not looking to retain him after the 2026 season ends. Williams returned in Week 3 from an Achilles injury suffered in 2025.
- Donte Jackson (31), Los Angeles Chargers. Currently in final year of contract: Veteran player with eight years of experience in the NFL and in the final year of what was a two-year deal signed with the Chargers. Most likely would be a rental situation unless the Lions decided to bring him back on a shorter deal with some guarantees in 2027.
- Mike Hughes (29), Atlanta Falcons. In year two of a three-year contract: If this name sounds familiar, it’s because Hughes appeared in 16 games for Detroit back in 2022. Hughes has been a productive player since entering the league back in 2018, and while he is technically signed through the 2027 season, there is an out for the team given the fact that there is no remaining guaranteed money on his contract after 2026, resulting in only a $1.666M dead cap hit if he were cut.
- Julius “JuJu” Brents (26), Miami Dolphins. Currently in final year of a two-year contract: Brents is a former second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts. At 6-foot-3, 198-pounds, Brents has physical traits that present a lot of upside. While primarily an outside corner at this stage of his career, he has some experience at safety in college with signs of urgency in the run support.
- Deonte Banks (25), New York Giants. Currently in year four of his rookie contract: Another member of the Giants’ secondary that could end up elsewhere by the time the trade deadline arrives. At 6-foot-2 and 200-pounds, Banks possesses ideal traits for the position, but has yet to put it altogether as a professional. New York opted to not pick up his fifth-year rookie option, meaning the former first-round pick would be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Safeties
- Andrew Wingard (30), Arizona Cardinals. Currently on a one-year contract: Wingard is a veteran safety with plenty of time on task since being an undrafted free agent back in 2019. Not a game-changer by any means, but with as thin as the Lions’ safety room looks at the moment, he certainly couldn’t hurt things as a value option, especially until star defensive back Brian Branch returns from the Achilles injury he suffered late last season.
- Jesse Bates II (29), Atlanta Falcons. Currently in the final year of four-year contract: Bates has been one of the better all-around safeties in the game for a while now. And while he will be 30 years old by the time the 2027 season is underway, he could be a player the Lions could bring back on a short-term deal with a good amount of guarantees. He would help in the immediate, and give the Lions a player they could pair with Branch for the next couple of years while they figure out the position’s long-term future.
- Amani Hooker (28), Tennessee Titans. Currently in year one of three-year extension: Hooker signed a second extension with the Titans in 2025 that has him on the books through the 2028 season. One year younger than Bates, Hooker’s deal is palatable with a $13M cap hit in 2027, and a $16M number in 2028. A former Iowa Hawkeye, Hooker is free safety in the peak of his career. This is the type of player we would not mind giving up a Day 2 selection considering both his performance and future salary commitment, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Kerby Joseph’s status in 2026 and beyond.
