One Lions Trade To Take Offense to Next Level
Through five weeks, the Detroit Lions have been one of the best offenses in the entire National Football League.
They've produced the ninth-most passing yards (1,217) and the seventh-most rushing yards (705). Additionally, they've averaged 29.6 points per game, the fourth-most in the league.
Needless to say, Ben Johnson's unit has performed like a well-oiled machine, even with several offensive weapons having missed time (i.e. Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams).
Despite the offense flying high, there is still room for improvement, specifically at the wide receiver position.
With Williams' inconsistent play to start his NFL career, I'm of the mindset that the Lions are in need of a No. 2 wideout to complement what St. Brown does as Detroit's go-to option in the passing game.
Sure, Lions signal-caller Jared Goff has made it look easy so far this season, getting a variety of pass-catchers involved on a weekly basis. For instance, he's established a solid rapport with veteran receiver Josh Reynolds. Reynolds has amassed 16 catches for 291 yards and three touchdowns in five games.
Yet, Reynolds isn't a game-changing threat, and Detroit isn't presently equipped with one in its receivers room outside of St. Brown.
Williams could be that type of receiver one day, but can't currently be relied upon to be that kind of impact player due to his inability to consistently catch the football.
It's why if I were Detroit general manager Brad Holmes, I'd be targeting a wide receiver leading into the October 31 NFL trade deadline. And specifically, I would focus my efforts on acquiring Arizona Cardinals wideout Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
Brown has been one of the few bright spots this season for the lowly 1-4 Cardinals.
The 26-year wideout has accumulated 25 catches for 300 yards and three scores in five games. He's done all this while receiving passes from career backup Josh Dobbs.
Could you imagine how good the former first-round pick would look in Ben Johnson's offense, catching passes from Goff?
Brown, who's on pace for his second career 1,000-yard receiving campaign, possesses elite speed and the ability to take the top off any defense. Subsequently, he'd be a perfect complement to St. Brown, who's nearly unstoppable over the middle of the field.
A St. Brown-"Hollywood" Brown one-two punch at receiver would be elite, and would help take Detroit's offense to the next level.
As good as Brown has been, it is also true that he has battled the injury bug since entering the league with the Ravens in 2019. He'll also be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. As a result, the Cardinals won't likely be able to land a first-round pick or even a second-rounder in a trade for him.
If I were Holmes, I'd be calling up Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort today to see if he'd take a 2024 third-rounder for the electric receiver. And, if Ossenfort were to say he wants a sixth-or-seventh-round pick thrown in to sweeten the pot, I'd still be willing to pull the trigger.
I'm certainly bullish on Brown's stock, and believe that he'd strengthen the Lions' chances of making a deep run in this year's postseason.
