The Detroit Lions Must Trade for Maxx Crosby

The Detroit Lions Must Trade for Maxx Crosby

For Chicago, the price was steep, but the logic is easy to follow. A player like Simmons changes how opposing offenses have to game plan, drawing double teams and freeing up everyone around him to make plays. Draft picks are valuable, but they are also uncertain, and the Bears clearly decided that a proven difference-maker in the trenches was worth more than a pair of lottery tickets. If this team is serious about competing now, adding a player of his caliber sends a clear message to the rest of the division.

Detroit, meanwhile, is hoping Branch’s return can be the spark that turns things around. Aidan Hutchinson has called him the tone setter of the defense, and it’s no coincidence that the unit played its best game of the year against Green Bay the week he came back. Still, one player can only do so much.

Kelvin Sheppard’s second year as defensive coordinator was supposed to bring stability, and instead the defense has been leaking yards and struggling to get off the field on third down. Dan Campbell has stood behind his coordinator and put the blame on execution across the board, but patience in Detroit is wearing thin. Getting Kerby Joseph back alongside Branch in the secondary would help, but with Chicago getting stronger, the pressure is on Sheppard’s group to figure things out quickly, or the NFC North race could slip away from them.