Lions' no-brainer trade to replace Christian Mahogany just became painfully clear

With the time left before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline now best measured in hours, the Detroit Lions have to move quickly after Sunday's disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They are, of course, clear-cut buyers, with much of the previous focus on potential reinforcements for the defense.

But the Lions took a significant injury hit on the offensive side of the ball against the Vikings. Left guard Christian Mahogany is not necessarily out for the season, but he is going to miss significant time with a left leg injury. He has also been quite good in his first full season as a starter, with a top-25 guard by overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and a top-12 run-blocking grade at the position.

It's also fair to say Kayode Awosika is a significant downgrade if he's going to step in as the starter at left guard while Mahogany is out.

Teammates and coaches can believe in Awosika all they want, but general manager Brad Holmes cannot let what he has called the engine for the Lions have such a drop-off at a starting spot as the push for playoff positioning gets going.

Lions have a no-brainer trade target to replace Christian Mahogany

There has been a lot of buzz about the Lions pursuing a reunion with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler on the trade market, as he wallows away on the 1-8 Tennessee Titans. Zeitler had an excellent season for the Lions in 2024, and he has not dropped off very much this season (if at all, if we take into account the situation in Tennessee).

But Zeitler is a right guard. Rookie Tate Ratledge has an even better overall PFF grade than Mahogany does so far this season, so displacing him would not be ideal. The Lions moved someone off of right guard when they signed Zeitler in 2024 free agency, and the results were not good.

So Holmes should be focused on trading for a left guard. And there is an obvious one who should be available, as long as his team starts acknowledging their reality at the trade deadline.

The Cleveland Browns are 2-6 as they come off their bye in Week 9. They should be a trade deadline seller, even if ESPN's Adam Schefter recently reported the exact opposite. That said, older players in a contract year are easy trade candidates in Cleveland.

Browns left guard Joe Bitonio has earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of the last seven seasons (2018-2024), with First Team All-Pro nods in 2021 and 2022. So far this year, in his age-34 season, he is PFF's 12th-highest graded guard.

Bitonio is also in the final year of his contract. His base salary is just $1.255 million, and an acquiring team would pick up the prorated portion of that for the rest of the season ($627,500).

Holmes is generally loath to part with notable draft capital in trades, since he doesn't operate as if the Lions are in any kind of a "Super Bowl window." But if a Pro Bowl guard who carries little financial obligation, and also happens to play the same position Mahogany does, can be acquired, giving up a Day 2 pick for Bitonio should be no object.