Lions have a perfect trade target conveniently falling right into their laps

At last year's trade deadline, with Aidan Hutchinson out for the season, the Detroit Lions made a significant move to acquire defensive end Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. After the season, general manager Brad Holmes talked about the arduous process to get that trade done.

"This was the first time we’ve had to trade for a pass rusher this year, and I will say that was the most difficult player acquisition journey that I’ve ever dealt with," Holmes said.

The Lions, due to the less the ideal structure of his contract (thanks to the Browns), waived Smith in March. Their follow-up move was to re-sign defensive end Marcus Davenport, and they subsequently talked themselves into the idea he could stay healthy and be a force opposite Hutchinson.

So much for that. Davenport suffered two injuries in Week 2, the latter of which was a chest injury which appears to be significant. Al-Quadin Muhammad has performed well so far this season, but the ongoing concern about the Lions' edge rusher depth has now reached a familiar pitch with Davenport possibly out awhile.

Even if relatively good news comes regarding his chest injury, the Lions' faith Davenport can stay healthy has already been proven, as expected, to be unfounded.

If Holmes makes any appearances with the media soon, he won't (and shouldn't) reveal if he's trying to trade for someone. But we can expect him to take a certain tone toward any questions about a perceived lack of proper attention to the edge rusher spot.

Lions have an ideal trade target falling right into their laps

In a very early look at the Nov. 4 trade deadline, ESPN's Dan Graziano noted the Lions as a team with the cap space to be in good position to add someone. With the second-most cap space in the league right now ($31.16 million, according to Over The Cap), that is undeniably true.

The big question is if Holmes would cast more than a cursory, dismissive glance at any trade possibilities.

On his list of five players who could be potential trade targets, Graziano presented someone to the Lions on a silver platter.

Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.

"Another 2021 first-round pick playing out his fifth-year option with no deal beyond 2025, Phillips could be a very interesting target for pass rush-needy teams if the Dolphins fall out of contention and decide they aren't going to keep him long term", Graziano wrote.

"He has had trouble staying healthy, but he's healthy right now, and a prorated portion of his $13.251 million salary wouldn't be too onerous in a league in which everyone's always looking for edge rushers. Phillips had 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons in the NFL before injuries limited him to 12 games over the next two years."

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The Dolphins fell to 0-3 on the season with a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night to open Week 3. It feels like a matter of time before head coach Mike McDaniel is fired, and Chris Grier is probably also on his last legs as general manager. Everything is lining up for them to be a trade deadline seller.

As Graziano noted, Phillips has had issues staying healthy the last couple seasons. A ruptured Achilles ended his 2023 season after eight games, and a partially torn ACL in Week 4 ended his 2024 campaign. The potential is there though, as he had 22 sacks and 24 tackles for loss over his first three seasons. In 2022 and 2023, Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-20 edge rusher in the league (No. 6 in 2022).

Phillips has played in all three games for the Dolphins so far this season, with nine total tackles, zero sacks and a 73.4 pass rush grade from PFF (top-20 among edge rushers, pending the full results of Week 3).

If the Lions are going to trade for an edge rusher, Phillips checks all the boxes. At 6-foot-5 and 263 pounds, he fits the physical profile they want at the position. He has been a solid run defender over the course of his career, along with being a productive pass rusher when healthy.

Lastly, and most importantly, those recent injury issues mean Phillips can probably be acquired cheaply. To that end, Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports proposed the Lions giving up a 2026 fifth-round pick to get him.

And since Phillips is playing on his fifth-year option this season, there would be no future contractual cost unless he proved he was worthy of it.

Holmes will lament how hard it is to acquire an edge rusher anytime there's an opportunity. But in this case, with cost and the Dolphins' likely motivation to trade certain players in mind, acquiring Phillips wouldn't have to be difficult.