The Detroit Lions, currently looking very strong and consistent, have a glaring weakness on their roster that recent NFL news could allow them to immediately address. While the team looks like one of the top three contenders in the NFC alongside the Rams and Eagles, injuries at the cornerback position are threatening to derail their Super Bowl hopes, much like they did late last season. Fortunately for the Lions, an oppurtuntity has opened up. The perfect trade target for the Lions appears to be Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen.
Woolen’s availability was signaled by a report from Ian Rapoport, stating that teams are monitoring him as a possible trade target by the deadline because his playing time has diminished and he is in a contract year.
The Lions’ defense is strong across the board, but their coverage unit is a major weakness, ranking as one of the lowest-graded segments on their entire roster. On top of that, the Lions’ secondary has been hit with injuries to veteran DJ Reed and young starter Terion Arnold, with Reed’s injury potentially costing him significant time. This weakness is supported by data: In their 2023 season where they were on the edge of a breakout, the team had a poor 51.6 PFF coverage grade. Last year, when they were a serious contender, their coverage grade jumped to 79.7. This year, they are starting to slip with a 63.7 coverage grade, which is 11th in the NFL but a significant drop from last season’s elite status. Their current starting corners, Arnold (48.1 PFF grade), Robinson (52.9), and Dorsey (55.3), are the lowest-graded players on the defense.
For Detroit to be serious about a deep Super Bowl run, they cannot afford to have a secondary that breaks down in the postseason against a hot quarterback, which is exactly what happened last year in the divisional round. General Manager Brad Holmes and Coach Dan Campbell are not expected to sit back and let this happen again.
Woolen, who had six interceptions his rookie season and has a ball hawking background, is a competent corner with big-play ability who provides crucial veteran depth. Unlike free-agent options like Stephon Gilmore or Asante Samuel Jr., Woolen has been playing legitimate snaps against top-flight receivers in 2025 and is already up to game speed. The Lions need a player who can step in immediately and potentially play for the rest of the season, not a player who needs a long ramp-up period. As Woolen is still a young player in a contract year, he is incredibly motivated to perform and earn his next contract. A trade for Woolen would not sacrifice the Lions’ future, as he is on the last year of his deal. They would be acquiring a high-ceiling player purely for a championship chase, without being tied to a long-term commitment.
The Lions have a great opportunity in a very winnable NFC. Brad Holmes is expected to be aggressive and make at least one major move to upgrade the cornerback position before the deadline to ensure that last season’s postseason failure due to depth issues is not repeated in 2025.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
