Another day brought another wide receiver who’s possibly available, so should the Detroit Lions consider a trade for ‘discount Deebo Samuel’?
On what seems like a daily basis, a trade rumor surfaces regarding an NFL wide receiver. The Detroit Lions have been prominently tied to interest in Deebo Samuel as he has asked the 49ers to trade him. And on the faint idea the Titans would trade A.J. Brown, the Lions sort of surfaced too.
On Friday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported the Giants are “looking to trade” wide receiver Kadarius Toney. The 2021 first-round pick did not show up for the start of offseason work this week. Former Lions and current Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay even appeared to call him out for his absence.
Toney struggled through his rookie season all they way back to OTAs, missing time due to COVID and multiple injuries. He also got thrown out of a game for throwing a punch. In 10 games, he had 39 catches for 420 yards without a touchdown along with three rushing attempts for six yards.
Take out the aformentioned game in which he was ejected in (Week 5 against Dallas), when he had 10 receptions for 189 yards, and the game before it (six catches for 78 yards against the New Orleans Saints. Now the numbers are even more dismal.
Should the Lions trade for “discount Deebo Samuel”?
Toney posted by far the best receiving numbers of his college career during his final season at Florida, with 70 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns. But he was used as a multi-purpose weapon throughout, with 66 carries for 580 yard with two touchdowns on the ground over his four years. He returned kicks at times, and even attempted six passes as a Gator.
The Giants’ new regime has no tie to Toney, and he’s not off to a good start making a first impression. Leonard’s report further confirmed maturity and preparedness issues started right away last year, and choosing to stay away now is a sign that has not changed.
Samuel will cost a haul in a trade, and require giving him a big contract on the back end. The Giants won’t realistically get any more than a third-round pick for Toney, and any pick they get could become conditional. He also has three or four (pending a fifth-year option being picked up) years left on a rookie contract.
Teams who could be in the mix for Samuel can easily see Toney as a discount option with a similar skill set.
The bigger question for the Lions is how Toney would fit into a culture under Dan Campbell that won’t tolerate lackluster attitude. But if he’s available it can’t hurt for general manager Brad Holmes to consider a trade offer, and move on quickly if an offer isn’t to the Giants’ liking.