The Detroit Lions are 1-6 and on their way to a fifth straight losing season, in the midst of what their owner called “a huge teardown and then turnaround,” but head coach Dan Campbell said Monday it is not his call whether the team should be in sell mode at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
“That’s really not something I feel like I need to answer,” Campbell said. “That’s not really my place at this point. Mine is to make the most of what we’ve got here, which is plenty to compete with, I believe.”
The Lions, coming off Sunday’s 31-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins, have lost five straight and have the worst record in the NFL.
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They would require a miraculous turnaround to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and owner Sheila Hamp encouraged the fan base to have patience while giving Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes a semi-vote of confidence last week.
The team could benefit from adding draft picks or young players to its rebuild in exchange for veterans it does not see as part of its future, either because of the salary cap or other reasons.
Veteran defensive tackle Michael Brockers has been inactive the past two games, and tight end T.J. Hockenson acknowledged, in an interview with the Free Press last week, that a team could pursue him in a trade.
Both Brockers and Hockenson have one year remaining on their contracts and could have bigger roles with other teams.
The Lions have not made a deadline move since 2020, when they acquired defensive end Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth-round draft pick.
Campbell said he “never felt” as a player like his team was giving up when it was a seller at the trade deadline.
“But there again, I was just about, I had enough to worry about as a player,” he said. “I was going to do my job, do the best I could. I didn’t worry about signals. I worried about what the coach wanted.”
And he said he’s not sure how active the Lions will try and be at Tuesday’s deadline.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I know that Brad is looking into anything and everything on both sides, that’s what he does; so I know we got a little time here, and we’ll see if something happens.”
Swift still limited
Lions running back D’Andre Swift said he still was bothered by his ankle and shoulder injuries in his return to action Sunday, but he hopes to have a bigger role in games going forward.
“As I keep getting better each day, the role (will) get bigger,” he said.
Swift played 33 snaps, most of any Lions running back against the Dolphins, and finished with five rushes for 6 yards and five catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Jamaal Williams led the Lions with 10 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’m still dealing with both of them but it just felt good to get back out there with the guys and run around and help in any way possible and contribute in ways that I can,” Swift said. “It just felt good to get back out there.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.