The Detroit Lions are in a strong position with their roster heading into the upcoming season, but one player may be on the trading block due to underperformance.
This part of the offseason is quiet, as teams continue to tweak their rosters, though major activity likely won’t happen until closer to the season. Like other NFL teams, the Detroit Lions are making final roster decisions, including which players to retain and which ones to cut.
The Lions have the advantage of returning key contributors from last year, but they’re also facing big changes on the coaching side. Without former coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, Dan Campbell and his restructured staff will be under close watch this year.
Recently, the team has been advised to cut ties with a second-round pick who hasn’t delivered as hoped.
Looking at the Lions’ outlook for the year, Efstathios Savvidis of Detroit Jock City wrote on June 27, “Repeating last year’s regular season performance will be hard due to coaching losses, but their core remains strong, and with Dan Campbell leading, they should still contend.”
Savvidis identified a Lions player who, in his view, no longer fits. That player is Josh Paschal, whom he says Detroit should move on from “without delay.”
Paschal, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, has put up five sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 15 QB hits in his time with Detroit. Last year, he started 10 games, but Savvidis notes that he “only managed 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and 8 QB hits.” His overall Pro Football Focus grade was 54.5, ranking him 154th of 211 edge rushers, with a 48 pass rush score.
Even when Detroit’s defense faltered in 2024, Savvidis argues that “Paschal couldn’t stand out.” His view is that the young edge rusher hasn’t become the consistent threat Detroit had hoped for. “Though Paschal has held up in the run game with a 62.5 grade, he hasn’t progressed into a top-tier edge rusher,” he wrote.
“A trade could help both sides, since Detroit badly needs secondary help after ranking 30th in pass yards allowed (244 per game), and Paschal might thrive in a system that gives him more snaps. Sadly, it’s reached this stage, but the Lions should trade him before he leaves for nothing.”
Moving Paschal isn’t a bad plan, especially if he’s not improving as expected. He still holds some value, so now may be the time to act. Still, with the team thin at edge rusher, and a new staff in place, it might also be wise to wait and reassess his future in 2025.
