NFL Analysis
10/14/24
8 min read
5 Trade Ideas for the Detroit Lions to Replace Aidan Hutchinson
The Detroit Lions might have to scramble to find a way to replace the heart and soul of their defense, Aidan Hutchinson.
Detroit's star pass rusher suffered a broken tibia during Sunday's blowout win against the Dallas Cowboys. The injury will end Hutchinson's season, and due to its severity, emergency surgery was required.
It's hard to overstate the impact that Hutchinson was having on the Lions' defense. He led the NFL with 7.5 sacks but also led the league with 40 pressures heading into Week 6. Nick Bosa was the next closest in pressures with 35 but had an extra game in hand.
The Lions don't currently have another premiere pass rusher on their roster. The next closest sack leader to Hutchinson was Alim McNeil, who has just 2.5 sacks this year (two of which came on Sunday). Levi Onwuzurike was the next closest in pressures before Sunday, with 16.
The Lions need to add another pass rusher if they want to continue being a serious Super Bowl contender. Fortunately, there are a few options out there that could be potentially available before the trade deadline.
All pressure stats are provided by Pro Football Focus.
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals 
Lions receive: Trey Hendrickson
Bengals receive: 2025 second-round pick
The Cincinnati Bengals narrowly avoided an upset loss to the New York Giants to improve to 2-4. However, if things get any worse, they might want to start offloading assets to reload for a playoff run in 2025.
Trey Hendrickson should be one of the top trade targets on Detroit's list. A three-time Pro Bowler, he has 64.5 sacks and 12 forced fumbles in 99 career games. He's off to another strong start in 2024 with five sacks, and he's still under contract through the 2025 season on a reasonable deal for a top pass rusher.
Hendrickson was sixth in the NFL with 26 pressures heading into Sunday Night Football. He added a few more with dominant reps like the one below.
DANIEL JONES É SACKADO! TREY HENDRICKSON 😤
— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) October 14, 2024
📺: @ESPNBrasil | #NFLnaESPN pic.twitter.com/u2dadKwZRt
What makes this move even more interesting is that Hendrickson requested a trade this past offseason before backing down. He's likely looking for top-of-market money, but if the Bengals keep falling apart and he decides to play for a contender before hitting free agency, a move to Detroit would make a lot of sense.
Haason Reddick, New York Jets
Lions receive: Haason Reddick, 2025 third-round pick (originally owned by Lions)
Jets receive: 2025 second-round pick
One of the weirdest situations in the league could be getting resolved in the near future. However, if Haason Reddick and the New York Jets can't come to terms on a new deal, then the Lions could step in and offer a trade to get the star pass rusher.
The Jets traded for Reddick this offseason, but the 30-year-old has refused to show up for practice throughout the offseason, training camp, and regular season as he seeks a long-term deal. Things have gotten so bad that Reddick's agency fired him as he refused to negotiate in good faith while taking on millions of dollars in fines for his absence.
Now, Reddick has a new agent in Drew Rosenhaus, giving Jets fans hope that an extension could finally get done. However, if negotiations continue to go poorly, Rosenhaus and Reddick could decide to request a trade.
Even as Reddick is seeking a top-of-market deal, he could bring plenty of value to a team like the Lions. He's coming off of the two best seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, racking up 27 sacks and six forced fumbles, along with 155 pressures.
THERE HE GOES @Haason7Reddick pic.twitter.com/KNZWI75P3i
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 29, 2023
A trade for Reddick feels unlikely at this point, especially if he wants a top-tier contract extension. However, the Lions have more than $77 million in cap space for 2025, and if they think they still have a real shot at a Super Bowl, general manager Brad Holmes might still try to make a big swing on a player like Reddick.
Azeez Ojulari, New York Giants
Lions receive: Azeez Ojulari
Giants receive: 2025 fourth-round pick, 2026 third-round pick
Of the players mentioned on this list, Azeez Ojulari might be the most attainable.
At 24 years old, Ojulari is still waiting for his breakout season, but he's flashing more frequently in his fourth NFL season. He already has three sacks through six games and is coming off his best performance of the season for the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
Despite the loss, Ojulari was credited with six pressures and two sacks on Joe Burrow. He generated pressure on 23 percent of his pass-rushing snaps, leaving the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line guessing throughout the game.
Azeez Ojulari 2nd sack of the night! pic.twitter.com/JLPDuOoPVZ
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) October 14, 2024
Ojulari will be among the most highly sought-after pass rushers at the trade deadline if the Giants become sellers. He's in the final year of his rookie deal and won't seek top-of-market money in free agency with limited production in his first four seasons.
Even if the Lions can't lock him in on an extension, trading for Ojulari would at least give them some kind of pass-rushing boost for the rest of 2024.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Miami Dolphins
Lions receive: Emmanuel Ogbah
Dolphins receive: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Miami Dolphins feel like a team on the precipice of a full-on tank for the 2024 season. That could make players like Emmanuel Ogbah expendable.
Ogbah has been a fine rotational player for the Dolphins but is expected to take a step up with Jaelan Phillips out for the season with a knee injury. In five games, he's racked up 10 pressures, two sacks, and an interception.
He can also be a playmaker against the run, showing good discipline and control at the point of attack.
It was nice to see Emmanuel Ogbah make some big plays against the Jaguars. I will say though, outside of a few of those he wasn’t able to win his 1 on 1 matchups at all. The power in his game is unfortunately diminished, and he isn’t moving as well as he used to. Ideally when… pic.twitter.com/tb7Pl2RsZg
— FinsCentral (@finscentral) September 10, 2024
However, with the long-term plans around Phillips and rookie Chop Robinson, Ogbah might be expendable for Miami, especially with how this season is going. He's on a one-year, $3.25 million deal, and the Dolphins could try to get some kind of asset by moving on from him early.
Ogbah's ability as a pass rusher and run defender could be exactly the kind of player that Dan Campbell would want to see on his defense for the rest of 2024.
Josh Hines-Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lions receive: Josh Hines-Allen
Jaguars receive: 2025 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
Want to get nuts? Let's get nuts.
The Jacksonville Jaguars look like one of the worst teams in the NFL, especially on defense. Their defense is the worst in the league by DVOA despite having one of the league's most exciting pass rushers, Josh Hines-Allen.
Hines-Allen is off to one of the best years of his career. The 27-year-old has an 85.2 defensive grade by Pro Football Focus with 2.5 sacks, 19 pressures, and nine stops. Through 80 career games, he's recorded 47.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and 307 pressures.
Josh (Hines) Allen records a sack! pic.twitter.com/jkftXBkLUQ
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) September 15, 2024
The Jaguars are in freefall after a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in London, moving to 1-5 on the season. Big changes are likely coming this offseason, and if they want to embrace a full rebuild, trading one of their biggest assets in Hines-Allen could be a worthwhile move to pick up significant draft capital while clearing their cap space.
The problem with a potential Hines-Allen trade is that the Jaguars just gave him a five-year, $141 million extension to make him one of the highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL. Even if the Lions wanted to take on that contract, it would make things much harder for them to extend Hutchinson once his rookie deal expires after the 2025 season.
A first-rounder might be in the mix for a potential Hines-Allen trade. The Dolphins traded first- and fourth-round picks, along with running back Chase Edmonds, for Bradley Chubb just a few seasons ago.
However, given that Chubb was still on his rookie deal and Hines-Allen has already signed a massive extension, it may be hard to convince a team to give up a first-round pick while taking on such a large salary.
It's a true long shot, but the Jaguars might be open to fielding some trade calls for Hines-Allen at the deadline if someone is willing to offer them multiple top draft picks.
