Lions stand pat at NFL trade deadline as NFC North gets tougher

On trade deadline day, the Detroit Lions stood pat.

The Lions did not make any roster moves before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. NFL trade deadline, choosing to stick with the roster that’s won four straight games while one of their biggest competitors for the NFC North title made a significant addition.

Their only move: On Monday, Nov. 9, the Lions acquired safety Andre Cisco in a trade with the New York Jets for a 2028 sixth-round pick.

Cisco started four games for the Jets this season before falling out of the rotation. He is expected to play a depth role in Detroit.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday the team still was hunting other possible deals, but the deadline came and went without the team addressing needs in its linebacker and cornerback rooms.

Across the NFL, several contenders made bigger additions Tuesday and in recent weeks.

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The Minnesota Vikings, losers of two straight, sent a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Vikings (6-2) lead the NFL in scoring defense and rank second in yards allowed but have one of the worst offenses in the league.

They are tied with the Lions for second place in the NFC North.

The division-leading Chicago Bears (7-2) sent two first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in late October, and fellow NFC contenders the San Francisco 49ers (defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and wide receiver Keenan Allen) and Seattle Seahawks (offensive guard Quenton Nelson) made significant additions before or at the deadline.

In the AFC, the Jacksonville Jaguars (defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux, plus safety Jessie Bates), Buffalo Bills (safety Amani Hooker), Kansas City Chiefs (receiver Josh Downs) and Denver Broncos (linebacker Daiyan Henley) all made deals in recent days, and teams made 18 in-season trades in all.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes has been active at the trade deadline for most of his six seasons in Detroit, though he’s yet to pull off a blockbuster deal.

In 2022, the Lions traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings for a swap of draft picks. In 2023, they acquired wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns for a future sixth-round pick. And in 2024, they added pass rusher Za'Darius Smith in another pick exchange to help their ailing defense.

Campbell said last month the Lions were "very much in on" talks to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before the Pittsburgh Steelers traded him to the Dallas Cowboys for two draft picks including a 2028 second-rounder.

"Brad looks at everything," Campbell said last month. "I mean, he's nonstop. He and [assistant GM] Ray [Agnew] and those guys, [vice president of roster operations] Rob Lohman, the whole crew. It's been a daily ongoing. This has never stopped."

The Lions travel to Germany this week to play the New England Patriots in their first international game since 2015, then return home to face a tough end-of-season schedule. They host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week and the Bears on Thanksgiving, then close the season with three division road games in the final four weeks.

The NFC North is the division with all four teams above .500. If the playoffs started today, the Lions, Vikings and Packers would all be wild cards.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.