Detroit Lions will dance with the ones they brought, holding steady at trade deadline
Allen Park — With a flurry of eight trades ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, we experienced one of the most active swapping periods in NFL history.
Taking it back to the start of the regular season, there were more than 20 deals. This year, after making deadline trades the past three seasons, the Detroit Lions sat this one out.
In reality, that was always the likeliest outcome, with the odds only temporarily fluctuating when the team lost starting guard Christian Mahogany for an extended period of time. The broken leg he suffered Sunday against Minnesota raised legitimate questions about whether the team would seek outside help to bridge the absence.
In the end, the Lions are going to roll with what they have, not just at guard, but everywhere. General manager Brad Holmes has built one of the league’s deepest rosters, and he’s content to rest on those laurels after checking the price tag on some of the available merchandise this week.
Detroit wasn’t the only contender to sit the deadline out. Six of the 14 teams currently holding a playoff spot didn’t make an addition. Joining the Lions were the Packers, Buccaneers, Bills, Broncos and Patriots.
Neither did the Chiefs, who sit a half-game out in the AFC race. To put it in different terms, five of the nine teams at the top of the Super Bowl betting odds didn’t consummate a deal.