The franchise tags have taken some of the big names off the free agent pass rush market, but there are still several proven veterans who can help the Detroit Lions impact the opposing QB. If the price is right for both Lions GM Bob Quinn and his counterpart on other teams, Detroit could trade for some veteran help.
Here are four players who could be had by Detroit in a trade to help bolster the pass rush.
Olivier Vernon, New York Giants
The Giants are rumored to be ready to part ways with the veteran EDGE.
At 28 years old, Vernon still has a lot to offer. His experience playing as both a 4-3 DE and a 3-4 OLB is precisely the type of positional versatility Lions coach Matt Patricia covets in his defensive front. The modest production (13.5 sacks in 23 games in 2017-18) doesn’t do justice to his ability to generate pressure off the edge.
Vernon’s contract is an issue. He’s due $19.5 million each of the next two seasons in a 5-year, $85 million deal he signed in 2016 to leave Miami as a free agent. The upshot is that the Giants are more desperate to unload that deal, meaning they should accept less in trade compensation. But that figure is more than $2 million more than the Lions paid Ziggy Ansah on the franchise tag last season.
Whitney Mercilus, Houston Texans
The Texans have not declared any intention of moving the versatile former first-round pick, but simple economics dictate Mercilus could be available. If the Texans do as expected and use the franchise tag on Jadeveon Clowney and also re-sign safety Tyrann Mathieu, it’s going to be hard for Houston to re-sign Mercilus after the season. They could be persuaded to give him up now instead of waiting for the potential compensatory pick in 2021.
Entering the final year of his contract, Mercilus has played all over the defensive formation during his seven years with the Texans. The last season he was a full-time EDGE (2015) he bagged 12.5 sacks. In 2018 he played more of an off-ball, read-and-react role and did so very well.
That’s the kind of moveable part Patricia’s “multiple” defense covets. Trading for Mercilus would almost certainly include signing him to an extension, however.
Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
There are conflicting reports on if Houston will be traded or just released. If the Lions want the 30-year-old, a small offer should suffice.
Houston was a perennial Pro Bowler earlier in his career, but injuries have slowed him over the last 3-4 years. Even so, he still bagged 9 sacks and forced five fumbles in just 12 games in 2018 for the Chiefs. That’s still impressive, but not enough for Kansas City to justify paying him $32 million over the next two season on his contract.
He’s more of a standup OLB type of EDGE, at his best lined up off the line of scrimmage and attacking the outside shoulder of either offensive tackle. That could work just fine in Detroit, but he’d likely need to re-work his contract.
Malik Jackson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jackson isn’t an edge, but he can play both tackle in a 4-man front and the rush end in a 3-man front. Those are skills Matt Patricia can work with in his “multiple” scheme.
The 29-year-old was in the top 10 in QB pressures by linemen with 53, yet he did that playing far fewer snaps than many who ranked below him. Jackson is quite effective at creating interior pressure, but he’s also deadly on loops and twists and facilitating second-level blitzes, too.
He’s due $13 million in salary each of the next three seasons. It’s a different approach to solving the Lions anemic pass rush, but nobody has ever called Patricia conventional.
