The NFL trade deadline is coming soon (next Tuesday), and with such a tightly contested NFC North, there could be an arms race on the horizon. Currently the Minnesota Vikings lead the division at 6-1, but the 5-2 Detroit Lions and 6-2 Chicago Bears are close behind, and both teams are hunting to add more talent before Tuesday’s deadline. In fact, according to ESPN insider Dan Graziano, both the Lions and Bears could be hunting for the same players.
In one of his latest pieces for ESPN, Graziano said
both the Lions and Bears have made calls about acquiring a cornerback.
“The Bears made their big move for [Jeffery] Simmons, but they’re still poking around on potentially available cornerbacks, as are the Lions,” Graziano wrote this week. “Detroit might also be in the market for help at linebacker, particularly in the wake of the terrible injury to mainstay Jack Campbell.”
It’s no surprise to hear that the Lions are still searching for a cornerback. The team admitted they were in the market for Joey Porter Jr. before he was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys. And the Lions’ cornerback situation hasn’t really changed since. While D.J. Reed is certainly playing better as the team’s No. 1 cornerback in recent weeks, Detroit is still seeking a No. 2 cornerback while rotating through the likes of Roger McCreary, Rock Ya-Sin, Khalil Dorsey, and Ennis Rakestraw.
The Bears, who already made the biggest trade deadline move by sending two first-round picks and more to the Titans for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, have also dealt with some issues in the secondary. No. 1 cornerback Jaylon Johnson is currently ranked 103rd out of 106 qualifying cornerbacks in PFF coverage grade (32.1), while CB2 Malik Muhammad isn’t faring much better (52.5, 78th).
At this point, it isn’t clear which cornerbacks are available to acquire at the trade deadline. But some of the more commonly thrown around names are Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen, Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil, Dolphins cornerback JuJu Brent, and Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson. A month ago, we also compiled a list of defensive backs that the Lions could target at the trade deadline.
We’ll see if either team can pull off a move with just days remaining before the deadline.
