Campbell discusses Lions' trade deadline strategy, Paschal and Frazier return to practice, and 3 o-linemen added to practice squad

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Allen Park — The Detroit Lions didn’t end up making a move at the trade deadline, but coach Dan Campbell noted the team was actively engaged in conversations on Tuesday, even if nothing panned out.

“Yeah, there were things that popped up,” Campbell said. “It was really after I talked to you guys (on Monday), then we started getting some things here and there. It was just there was nothing that was, I would say, enough to be noteworthy. I mean it was certainly intriguing, but it wasn’t good enough.”

Campbell was asked whether it was the talent being offered or the asking price for those players that wasn’t right for the Lions.

“Look, these are solid players, but when we make a move, you’ve got to check all the boxes,” Campbell said. “I can sit there and say, ‘Yeah, I like him. He’s a solid player.’ But I told (Holmes), ‘I don’t even want that getting to me if it doesn’t make sense from a financial, from a value standpoint.’

“That thing gets filtered, which I appreciate,” Campbell continued. “I don’t want to deal with all of that until we know we’re serious about it.”

Campbell said he didn’t have a lot of interest in marginal upgrades to talent the team already has on its roster.

“Look, I go back to you know your own guys,” Campbell said. “You’ve been around them, you’ve seen them. You know the greatness behind them, you know their warts too. And we all have them. …My point is, you know some of the good, you know the strengths, you know some of the weaknesses. You know how they’re made. You know how they react under pressure. You know what they’re like every day in practice when they haven’t gotten an opportunity, but they want one. You see all these things, and as long as they’re continuing to grow and get better and get better, then our trust goes up on those guys.”

On the other hand, it doesn’t have to be marginal upgrades. The Colts and Cowboys demonstrated that you can acquire high-caliber talent at the deadline if you’re willing to trade away first-round draft picks. The Colts sent two first-rounders to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner, while the Cowboys were able to pry defensive lineman Quinnen Williams out of New York for a first and a second.

Holmes cut his chops with the Rams, a team long known for sacrificing its early-round picks to acquire top-tier talent, which fueled the franchise’s Super Bowl run in 2021. Campbell was asked if he could ever see Holmes following the same approach.

“When you start talking like that, like throwing all the picks away, that’s a lot,” Campbell said. “I mean, that’s a lot of capital, especially with guys that we’ve got that we’re signing and we want to continue to sign to keep what we have intact.

“Now you’re not only throwing the picks (away), you’ve also got to pay that player too, probably,” Campbell said. “Otherwise, why are you throwing all the picks at a guy if you’re buying him for a year? …Everything that we planned for, you just might as well throw it in the trash. So, I don’t want to say never. …I mean, these conversations come up. But he and I both agree that this is how we proceed. This is how we go about our business and we have a long-term approach. But I’ll never say never.”

O-line injury carousel

Let’s shift to injury and transaction news, given that the two are intertwined.

The Lions were down three starters along the offensive line for Wednesday’s practice — offensive tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, as well as guard Christian Mahogany. For good measure, backup tackle Dan Skipper was also absent for the session.

The good news, based on Campbell’s radio interview with 97.1-FM on Tuesday, is that the team is increasingly optimistic they’ll have both Decker and Sewell for Sunday’s game against Washington.

Mahogany, not so much. He suffered a broken bone in his leg during last weekend’s loss to Minnesota. He’s estimated to be out of action until late December.

To address much-needed depth, the team signed three o-linemen to the practice squad ahead of Wednesday’s practice — Jack Conley, Chris Hubbard and Netane Muti.

Muti is a familiar face, having spent the past two offseasons with Detroit. Conley, meanwhile, is an undrafted rookie out of Boston College with experience playing both guard and tackle while at the school.

Hubbard, 34, has a wealth of professional experience, appearing in more than 100 games, including 61 starts with the Steelers, Browns, Titans and Giants. He also has experience playing both tackle and guard, adding some versatility to the practice rotations.

Regarding the replacement plan for Mahogany, Campbell said Kayode Awosika will be the first option, but the team will also look for opportunities to rotate in other possibilities this week, including Trystan Colon, to evaluate the team’s best path forward.

Another name added to the mix on Wednesday was rookie Miles Frazier. Out since May with a knee injury, he’ll have three weeks to get acclimated, and Campbell sounded as if he expects Frazier to use it all, noting the fifth-round pick will be like a “baby fawn” after missing nearly all of his first offseason program.

Outside the offensive line, the Lions also started the practice clock for defensive lineman Josh Paschal. The fourth-year defender has been sidelined the past few months with a back injury.