Dan Campbell Explains Why Lions Traded Jeff Okudah

Detroit Lions wanted to give the 24-year-old defensive back a fresh start.

The Detroit Lions were well aware that their secondary was not up to par following the conclusion of the 2022 season. 

Cornerback Jeff Okudah saw his role diminish the final couple games, during which he was relegated to playing on special teams. 

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes indicated following the conclusion of the season that the team needed to prioritize the defense. The unit, in fact, finished a disappointing 32nd in the NFL. 

"There’s a lot of different areas that we can go, especially with the resources that we’ll have available to us," said Holmes. "Obviously, our defense was ranked 32nd, so I mean it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to have to utilize some resources to try and improve that defense."

During free agency, Holmes signed three defensive backs, drastically altering the room and opening the door for the team to move on from Okudah. 

Appearing on the "Rich Eisen Show" before the draft, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked why the decision was made to trade the 24-year-old defensive back to the Atlanta Falcons. 

"We knew we wanted to upgrade the secondary, and we've been pleased with the upgrades that we've made, man. Bringing in (Cam) Sutton and (Emmanuel) Moseley, and then getting C.J. Johnson from Philadelphia, we feel like we've really beefed up that area and we still got Jerry Jacobs, we got Will Harris back," Campbell explained. "So, we've got a group, and we just felt like, you know what, we felt pretty good with the additions that we made. 

"And, we really felt like at this time, this is probably the best thing for us and for Jeff, man," Campbell continued. "A new change of scenery and get him a fresh start. We felt really good about our guys. Look, man, I appreciate Jeff. Jeff was a pro. He came to work, he busted his ass. Man, he worked at it. He was coming off an injury last year, and we just felt like, you know what, this is the right thing to do right now."