NFL Trade Rumors: Lions identify replacement for injured DPOY contender Aidan HutchinsonÂ
Through seven weeks of football, the Detroit Lions have looked like the best team in the National Football League. And if anyone needed any more evidence, the Lions made sure to deliver some more in Week 6 when they thoroughly embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys 47-9 on franchise owner Jerry Jones' 82nd birthday.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows for Detroit. The franchise was handed a major blow in that game against Dallas when star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson went down with a gruesome injury. The defensive end was initially ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a fractured left tibia and fibula but received some good news from doctors this week after his surgery, opening the door for Hutchinson to return if the Lions make a run all the way to the Super Bowl.
Regardless, the Lions are reportedly making sure they have some insurance to keep the momentum going. ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported on Sunday morning that the Lions could look at the Cleveland Browns' three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith.
Smith has 63 career sacks so far and a stacked resume so that name should inspire confidence among Lions fans.
The 1-5 Browns just dealt Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, and with the season slipping away, they could be forced to shed some salary and accumulate some draft picks to kickstart a rebuild.
NFL Rumors: Could Lions look at Jets DE Haason Reddick?
When the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles hammered out a deal to send Bryce Huff to Philly and Haason Reddick to New York, it was seen as a deal that would ultimately prove to be beneficial for both parties.
Entering Week 7, the Jets are 2-4 and Reddick is nowhere to be seen. The Jets pass rusher has been holding out in hopes of negotiating a new contract but had to find new representation after his former agency CAA announced they were terminating their relationship with him.
Reddick's new agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is known for facilitating big trades and big contracts, was given a short window to find a trade partner for Reddick. With the timing of Hutchinson's injury, Reddick was strongly linked with a move to fill in for the Lions' star pass rusher.
However, there have been no concrete reports of the Lions enquiring about a move for the Jets defensive end so far.
Any team that's looking to trade for Reddick will have to accommodate his base salary of $14.3 million this year. Per Spotrac, Detroit has $33.9 million in cap space, so a deal is theoretically possible between both parties.