ESPN's senior NFL insider Bill Barnwell has a crazy pitch for the Lions at the trade deadline: Get Trey Hendrickson plus more pass rush help.
Should the Detroit Lions trade for Trey Hendrickson, the frustrated star edge rusher for the Cincinnati Bengals?
If you ask an ESPN expert, that's just the start of what the Lions should do at this year's trade deadline as part of an all-in approach.
The Lions are coming off a disappointing loss on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 but are still considered among the most talented teams in the league and look well set for another playoff run.
But health is once again becoming a question for the Lions' defense after injuries derailed the team's 2025 Super Bowl hopes last season.
This time, instead of a rash of injuries on the defensive line, it has been the secondary taking on injury after injury.
The Lions have lost the following defensive backs: Safety Dan Jackson, Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB D.J. Reed, CB Khalil Dorsey, CB Terrion Arnold, CB Avonte Maddox, S Daniel Thomas.
That's without even mentioning safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, who have both been playing through injuries. Not all of the DBs will be out for the season, but Branch will also be suspended for the Lions' Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after scrapping with Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after the 30-17 loss.
The best way to help an ailing secondary? More pass rush help alongside Aidan Hutchinson!
At least that's the opinion of ESPN's senior NFL writer Bill Barnwell.
In his latest 2025 NFL trade deadline proposals, Barnwell has the Lions making not one but two big swings.
First, Barnwell suggests the Lions finally make the much-discussed move to trade for Bengals DE Hendrickson, sending a 2026 second-round pick to the Bengals in exchange for Hendrickson and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Hendrickson has been clamoring for a new long-term deal with the Bengals for nearly two seasons and with Cincinnati looking like it'll miss the playoffs, now might be the right time for both teams to make a deal.
Hendrickson would essentially be a rental, as Barnwell points out, since the Lions have so many young players they still need to extend themselves, such as Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and Jack Campbell. But it'd be the win-now move they probably won't be able to make in the future.
And if you're going all-in, why stop at Hendrickson, Barnwell posits?
In addition to the deal for Hendrickson, the Lions should trade for oft-injured but very talented Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and a 2026 seventh-round pick for a 2026 fourth-round pick, Barnwell writes.
"Sorry, I should have clarified: I'm arguing that the Lions should go all-in," Barnwell wrote. "This team experienced what it was like to lose Hutchinson and virtually every one of its other ambulatory pass rushers last season. Its secondary is battling injuries. No team has ever made it into January and complained that it had too many pass rushers."
A second- and fourth-rounder sounds like a lot, but the Lions could recoup some of that draft capital if they let Hendricks and Phillips walk in free agency, via compensatory picks.
And besides, who will care if those additional pass rushers can help lead the Lions to their first ever Super Bowl?
Do you think the Lions should make these all-in moves? Let us know on "X" @freepsports or any of our other social media accounts.
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor at the Free Press. Contact him via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions trade for Trey Hendrickson in ESPN's new mock deadline
Category: Football
