We are just weeks away from the start of the regular season and the Detroit Lions still have a major concern along the edge.
Following the release of Za’Darius Smith earlier this offseason, the Lions have a big question mark opposite Aidan Hutchinson, with the injury-prone Marcus Davenport set to start on the other side.
That is a major concern for a Lions team that will need its pass-rush to be a consistent force in order to make a push for the Super Bowl in 2025.
With the Lions having a shaky situation along the edge, SB Nation’s James Dator is hoping to see Detroit pull off a trade for New York Giants edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux. Here’s the deal he proposes.
Lions-Giants trade proposal
- Lions get: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
- Giants get: OT Dan Skipper, 2027 third-round pick
The Lions don’t have a 2026 third-round pick currently, so they’d have to offer the Giants their 2027 selection instead.
With their jobs on the line, it’s hard to imagine that Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen would part ways with one of their key defenders.
Dator argues that Thibodeaux and Brian Burns are not a good fit together and that the draft selection of Abdul Carter may make the former top-five pick expendable. He adds that Skipper could help the Giants, also.
“Thibodeux and Burns were a bad duo against the run, and filled a similar role as speed/finesse pass rushers. Meanwhile the Lions have someone sitting on their depth chart the Giants could really use in veteran OT Dan Skipper,” Dator wrote.
“New York’s offensive line is a mess. Skipper, a fan favorite, is set to be a backup this season in Detroit. There’s easily a scenario where the Giants could add Skipper and a 3rd round pick, getting much better in the process and moving on. Meanwhile the Lions get another pass rusher who could revitalize his career on the Lions and become an impact player,” Dator added.
Kayvon Thibodeaux’s stats
- Games: 43
- Tackles: 127
- Sacks: 21
- QB Hits: 46
- Tackles for Loss: 26
Thibodeaux tallied a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2023 and followed that up with 5.5 in 12 games last season. Even with missing those five games, Thibodeaux would have finished with the second-most sacks on the Lions in 2024, trailing only Hutchinson (7.5).
On top of his injury woes, Davenport hasn’t been very effective when on the field. In his last healthy season in 2022, the veteran posted just 0.5 sacks, so he’s not guaranteed to be productive even if he stays healthy.
Could Davenport turn things around and become someone who takes pressure off Hutchinson? It’s possible, but not as likely as Thibodeaux being able to do that.
Should the Lions make this trade?
Skipper is indeed loved in Detroit by players, coaches and fans, and while it would be tough to see him go, especially considering he’s the top tackle off the bench, the Lions shouldn’t hesitate at all to make this trade if given the opportunity.
Losing a fan-favorite like Skipper and a third-round pick would be a small price to pay for an upgrade along the edge that would help the Lions’ Super Bowl chances.
One thing that could make the Lions balk at this kind of a trade is the financial side. Thibodeaux is under contract through 2026, but he’s no doubt going to be looking for an extension next year.
The Lions are already set to pay Hutchinson big money and may not be keen on having a large portion of their salary cap dedicated to two edge rushers.
That said, the Lions are in win-now mode and should be focused solely on 2025 at this point. General manager Brad Holmes can cross that bridge when he gets to it, and if he doesn’t want to pay Thibodeaux, he could turn around and trade the Oregon product in 2026.
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