The Detroit Lions are an absolute machine right now, with the team enjoying yet another offensive explosion in Week 8 en route to a 52-14 beatdown of the lowly Tennessee Titans.
While the Lions played well on both sides of the ball overall, there was a glaring issue for Detroit in the game: the pass-rush only tallied one sack against a poor Titans offensive line, and there simply wasn't enough pressure overall.
Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph had too much time to throw as a result, which allowed him to make some plays down the field. Detroit was able to overcome that issue against a bad team like the Titans, but the Lions might not be so lucky against an offense that isn't incompetent like Tennessee's.
The Lions have been able to get by just fine without edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson thus far, but there's no question that Detroit's chances of winning a Super Bowl aren't as good without him or another impact pass-rusher on the field.
Knowing that, Detroit needs to make a deadline deal to bring someone in, and the more, the merrier. NFL Trade Rumors' Logan Ulrich has an idea, with the analyst suggesting Detroit pull off a trade for Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Trevis Gipson.
The Lions’ need at edge rusher is well-documented and HC Dan Campbell admitted after Week 7 they probably needed to make a move. If they strike out on some of the bigger-name options, Gipson is an interesting fit. For starters, he’s got size to fit into the team’s four-down front and isn’t just a third-down rusher like some other players available. Gipson had seven sacks and five forced fumbles in his second year back in 2021 with the Bears, so there could be some upside in a rotational role for Detroit to tap into.
The Lions are already quite familiar with Gipson, who used to play for the Chicago Bears. The former fifth-round pick had his best season in Chicago, when he tallied seven sacks in 2021.
Unfortunately for him, things have gone downhill since then. He followed that campaign up with three sacks in 2022 and one sack in eight games in 2023. In 2024, Gipson has yet to register a sack, but he's also played just 47 snaps on defense.
Gipson is hardly the guaranteed solution the Lions need. That's not to say we'd be opposed to Detroit bringing him in, but he should be a secondary addition, not the main one. And it's very realistic the Lions could trade for Gipson and make a bigger move, as the Tulsa product should only cost a seventh-round pick.
