Judging by the Detroit Lions‘ strong 5-2 record heading into their bye week, it’s a given that their roster is solid, but that isn’t stopping NFL experts and analysts from proposing that the Lions work out a major trade to beef up their defense. The Lions just wrapped up a winning Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, October 19, and the final score was 24-9, despite the team’s injured secondary.
The Detroit Lions’ defense is spearheaded by defensive end Aidan Hutchison, who has six sacks to date this season, linebacker Jack Campbell, who’s clocked 34 tackles and defensive back Brian Branch, with 23 tackles, according to NFL statistics and research. They would benefit from having another strong edge rusher in the fold, and even though they have Marcus Davenport set to return in November or December, it would take some pressure off of Hutchinson to have another A-list edge rusher.
Enter Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, who has accumulated 63.5 sacks in his career. He’s been on the wish-list of Lions enthusiasts for years now. Crosby is a Michigan native, who is from Lapeer, and played football at Eastern Michigan. Crosby and Hutchinson would be the kind of duo that would scare any NFL opponent.
Maxx Crosby Gets Mentioned With the Detroit Lions, Again
The Las Vegas Raiders are hurting right now. The team’s record is 2-5 after losing in an embarrassing fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, October 19, with a final score of 31-0. Yes, that means the Raiders didn’t even get one point on the board against the Chiefs.
So, even though Crosby has said multiple times that he’s a Las Vegas Raiders lifer, we all know that doesn’t mean much in the NFL. If Crosby wants to win a championship, he’ll have to jump ship.
In a Tuesday, October 21 feature for Bleacher Report, NFL analyst and expert Moe Moton proposes a trade that would bring Crosby to the Lions. The Raiders get a 2026 1st-round pick, 2026 4th-round pick, 2027 1st-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick and DT Roy Lopez, and the Lions get Crosby.
Now, Crosby is excellent, but that’s a lot to trade away just to get a good edge rusher. Plus, the Lions still have to work out a contract with Hutch, which will cost a pretty penny. Add to that how Al-Quadin Muhammad and Alim McNeill have stepped up in the wake of Davenport being out, and it really wouldn’t make much sense to take this proposal.
Analyzing the Maxx Crosby and Detroit Lions Trade Proposal
But, Moton’s idea isn’t horrible. “From a football perspective, Detroit would have arguably the league’s best pass-rushing duo with Crosby and Aidan Hutchinson bookending its defensive line,” he notes.
Moton adds, “The Lions have $25.1 million in cap space. They will likely sign Hutchinson to a massive extension in the near future, but the front office can structure his new deal to incorporate Crosby’s contract in the short term, though the budget will get tight in the years to come.”
In the end, this proposal isn’t in the best interest of the Detroit Lions, because the Lions would have to give up so much to get Crosby. If Brad Holmes wants to prevent Crosby from going to a competitor, it would solve that problem, but overall, this idea is really a pipe dream. Contact me with your thoughts.
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