The Detroit Lions are on a four-game win streak and absolutely rolling, though injury concerns pose a serious threat to the momentum the group has gathered over the past month.
Detroit lost starting cornerback D.J. Reed to a hamstring strain two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns that landed him on injured reserve and guarantees he’s out through the team’s Week 8 bye. Then last week, Terrion Arnold went down with a shoulder injury and left the field on a cart.
The Lions’ secondary is now vastly depleted without its top two cornerbacks for multiple games, which puts the team atop the list of prospective trade suitors at the position ahead of the NFL’s November 4 deadline.
Among the most likely and attractive targets is Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II, who is playing in a contract year and isn’t likely to return to the 1-4 team in 2026.
Browns Will Likely Look to Offload Greg Newsome Ahead of Trade Deadline
GettyCleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report dubbed Newsome the No. 9 player on his list of the league’s top trade targets with less than a month to go before the deadline, naming the Lions as one of Newsome’s top potential suitors.
“For the Browns, trading cornerback Greg Newsome II ahead of the deadline would make sense,” Knox wrote Wednesday, October 8. “Yes, he is one of Cleveland’s defensive starters, and its defense is the only thing that has made the Browns competitive this season. However, they are now auditioning rookie QB Dillon Gabriel and are already looking ahead to the future.”
Newsome is playing on the fifth-year team option of his rookie deal, which is worth just over $13 million. He will be looking for a longterm contract in the spring, and the rebuilding Browns aren’t likely to give it to him based on their shared history.
Knox projected Newsome’s trade value at a conditional fourth-round pick, though the Lions may be able to do better than that if Cleveland plays itself entirely out of contention in the next couple of weeks.
Greg Newsome Can Fill Immediate Need for Lions, Add Depth When Secondary Gets Healthy
GettyCornerback Greg Newsome II of the Cleveland Browns.
A former first-round pick in 2021, Newsome began his career on the outside. However, Martin Emerson Jr. joined the team in 2022 and ultimately beat Newsome out for that spot, pushing him inside to the position of nickel cornerback.
Emerson tore his Achilles tendon during the preseason, which allowed Newsome the chance to bounce back outside, which he acknowledged afterward is where he prefers to play.
Newsome would get that chance if Cleveland traded him to Detroit, at least over the next handful of games, as neither Reed or Arnold is likely to be healthy enough to play against the Kansas City Chiefs or Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the Lions’ two opponents before their bye.
However, there is no guarantee that Reed will be ready to go immediately after his IR stint is up. He admitted he thought his season was over when he hurt his hamstring, believing he’d torn it off the bone.
Meanwhile, Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters earlier this week that Arnold would be out “a long time” with his shoulder injury. A second opinion the following day offered some hope that he might return in the month of October, but that’s a best-case scenario.
Detroit has a tough schedule ahead, and Newsome can fill an immediate need. He can also move back inside if and when Reed and Arnold return healthy and the team deems those two its best outside options.
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