The NFL trade deadline sits just under two weeks away on Tuesday, November 10, bringing a flurry of speculation across the league about which rosters might add pieces for a late-season push. In their recent breakdown of the top 25 trade candidates across the league, ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen identified the Detroit Lions as a primary landing spot for four separate players.
Addressing Secondary Needs With Familiar Scenarios
The Lions emerged as a best fit for four different trade candidates on the ESPN list. It is hardly a secret that Detroit has dealt with struggles at cornerback this year, making the defensive backfield an obvious target for analysts projecting deadline moves. Even so, the Lions have managed to string together some recent success at the position by utilizing a rotation of players already on the roster.
Among the defensive backs drawing attention is cornerback Riq Woolen. The Philadelphia Eagles currently sit at 2-5 and will play out the rest of the season without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, positioning them as potential sellers. ESPN places Woolen’s likelihood of being traded at 35 percent.
From a financial standpoint, a deal for Woolen is relatively straightforward. The acquiring team would only be responsible for a prorated portion of his $6 million base salary.
Woolen brings size to the perimeter at 6-foot-4, though his production has dipped below his best Seahawks days. Pro Football Focus credits him this season with allowing 20 catches on 36 targets for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns, alongside six passes defended and a forced fumble.
Matt Bowen offered a clear assessment of Woolen’s skill set for interested teams:
Woolen has the length and long speed at 6-foot-4 to help a defense majoring in man coverage and two-deep zone. The tackling and eye discipline could improve, but Woolen is a disruptor on the perimeter.
Donte Jackson Brings Veteran Leadership to Struggling Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers present another angle as the league’s only winless team. With games against the Rams, Ravens, Patriots, 49ers, Chiefs, and Broncos still looming on their schedule, their season is already toast.
Cornerback Donte Jackson turns 31 next month, but he brings a substantial résumé spanning nine NFL seasons, 109 career starts, 23 interceptions, and 68 passes defended. Having served as a captain for several years with the Carolina Panthers, he also carries a strong reputation for locker-room leadership.
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Financially, Jackson mirrors Woolen’s manageable structure, requiring only a prorated share of a $6 million salary for any team acquiring him before the November 10 deadline.
Bowen highlighted Jackson’s functional fit:
With his backfield vision and short-area closing speed, Jackson fits best as a zone corner. He’s a top-down defender with route awareness who can create on-the-ball production.
Injury Delays Shemar Stewart from Securing Playing Time
The conversation shifts drastically when looking at the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Bengals hold a solid 4-2 record and are far from traditional sellers, they have barely utilized Shemar Stewart, who was selected 17th overall just last year. Stewart has logged a mere 17 snaps this season.
Despite that lack of playing time, Cincinnati parting ways with Stewart before the deadline remains a long shot. Head coach Zac Taylor pointed to a missed training camp due to a leg injury as the primary hurdle for Stewart.
“He’s doing all the right things,” Taylor explained regarding Stewart’s development and inactive status. “He’s getting better every week. (He missed) training camp for the most part. So, to get him back, I think he’s been doing a great job of practicing. We’re just in a really tough spot with our inactives right now. Sometimes we’re really healthy. Sometimes we’re beat up at a position where we need another guy up. So, unfortunately, we just had to pull from the d-line, and it’s a really deep d-line group, and it’s really difficult to choose who’s going to be inactive there.”
If the Bengals somehow made Stewart available, his physical traits and length would make him an intriguing schematic fit in Detroit. Yet, another name on the ESPN list makes far less logistical sense.
The New Orleans Saints sit at 2-5, putting them squarely in the conversation as potential sellers, and guard Cesar Ruiz could theoretically be available. However, connecting the Lions to an interior offensive lineman stretches credulity. Ruiz has played right guard almost exclusively throughout his career—a spot currently held down securely by second-year Lion Tate Ratledge. Meanwhile, Detroit has received dependable play from Christian Mahogany at left guard and maintains quality depth in Juice Scruggs. The clock ticks toward November 10.
