Trade activity is picking up in the NFL, but Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell stated that the recent flurry of deals hasn’t pressured his team to make a move.

“I don’t feel like we’re pressured to, ‘Oh man, everybody’s moving, we’ve got to move,’” Campbell said Wednesday. “I don’t feel that way.”

The Lions are seeking help for their pass rush after losing defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg during their Week 6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

They won their first game without Hutchinson last week, edging the Minnesota Vikings 31-29, but struggled to establish a consistent four-man pass rush, relying more on linebacker blitzes to pressure Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.

While the Lions recorded four sacks in the game, one came from Josh Paschal as an unblocked rusher, two were from linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell when Darnold stepped up to buy time, and Trevor Nowaske made the last sack on Minnesota’s final play, a Hail Mary attempt.

This week, the Lions face a Tennessee Titans team that made two trades on Wednesday. The Titans traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs for a conditional fourth-round pick and sent linebacker Ernest Jones to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for linebacker Jerome Baker and a draft pick swap.

Last week, the Las Vegas Raiders traded receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns sent receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, and the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings made minor deals with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

“I just found out about Jones when I was walking out of walkthrough for my news conference,” Campbell said. “I had no idea they were working out a trade for him; I was aware of Hopkins. But we don’t feel influenced by that. Like I said, we’re not rushing. If it’s right, it’s right, and we’ll do our homework and due diligence. If it makes sense, it makes sense; if not, it doesn’t.”

In his weekly radio segment on WXYT-FM (97.1) Tuesday, Campbell reiterated that the Lions are looking for a “complementary piece to help that D-line” in the trade market. He mentioned that general manager Brad Holmes involves him in evaluating potential trade acquisitions when discussions become serious.

When asked during the radio interview if Holmes had asked him to scout any players yet, Campbell responded, “Yeah, he’s asked me to check something out, a couple of things.”

On Wednesday, Campbell indicated that the Lions want to assess three internal pass rush options—James Houston, Isaiah Thomas, and Al-Quadin Muhammad—before re-evaluating their trade strategy.

Houston had eight sacks in seven games as a rookie in 2022 but has seen limited action this season after missing most of last year due to a broken leg. The Lions signed Thomas off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad last week. Muhammad recorded six sacks with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 but has yet to play since joining the Lions’ practice squad earlier this month.

“We’re going to give them a chance,” Campbell said. “So with all those guys, let’s give it a go, let’s give it a look; that’s what they’re here for.”

Injury Update

The Lions were missing two defensive linemen at practice on Wednesday: Paschal, who left the Vikings game twice due to injury but returned to finish, sat out with an illness, while Levi Onwuzurike took a rest day.

Offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, and Frank Ragnow also received veteran rest days.

Campbell noted that cornerback Emmanuel Moseley began traveling with the team for the Vikings game and is expected to return this season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during training camp. Moseley tore the ACL in his right knee on his second snap as a Lion last fall.

“He wanted to go (to Minnesota), and we were all for it,” Campbell said. “I can’t specify how close he is to returning, but yeah, we’re getting him back. It’s just a matter of when. He’s doing pretty well, progressing nicely, and healing up effectively.”