Trade Rumors INTENSIFYING....HUGE Upside | Detroit Lions News

Well, as the Lions turn their attention to the Green Bay Packers, that's not stopping the trade winds from blowing. The rumors are again intensifying, picking up heat, centering around a couple of players that would bring immediate upside for the Lions on the defensive side of the ball. We're going to dive into who that might be, the ramifications of it, and a whole lot more on this edition of Lions Digest. Hey everybody, yours truly, Captain Lou here. want to take a moment to welcome those of you that are checking us out for the first time to the program if you haven't done it yet i invite you to hit that subscribe button it's free come along on the journey with us and the lions here in 2026 be a part of the conversation and all the live reaction and a whole lot more right here on Lions Digest well we all know the lions are in definite need of cornerback help they've been shopping for it for a long time gm brad holmes was in on Joey Porter Jr and again he went to Dallas so the heat's on him to get some immediate help for the lions in that department well a couple of names have popped up now and they've been linked to the Detroit Lions with the fortunes of two teams that are going in the opposite direction how about Rig Wallen cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles the eagles have stumbled as of late they could be in full-blown sell mode and the other team they just fired their gm Chris Ballard, that being the Indianapolis Colts, and the rumors of Sauce Gardner being linked to the Lions have picked up steam. Well, let's take a look at Rig Wallen, if you will. Let's look at his PFF grades. Now, he ranks right about 15th or 16th for an overall grade of 71.4. His coverage ranks, now that grade is wrong. It is not 70th, that's 17th. I typed that in wrong. But the one that sticks out the most for me is that he ranks first in the National Football League for 425 snaps played. The best ability is availability and that's what Rig Wallen brings to you. Now his recent form, it's picked up. His tackles per game and everything are on the upswing throughout the year. Now he hasn't gotten any interceptions yet, but he's got 22 tackles so far, so he still has a nose for the football if you talk to Mike Payton from A to Z Sports he kind of thinks that the Lions could get Rig Woolen for a third or a fourth round draft pick out of Philadelphia not a bad price to pay in my opinion for him so my question to you right out of the chute should the Lions number one prioritize that cornerback who should they get the best player the best value of the price or whatever would you give up a third round pick for Ridge Woolen yes maybe only a fourth round pick or no here's the other thing to keep in mind with Ridge Woolen look at his contract right now again 3.4 million not a bad price and the guy he's a free agent in 2028 so to me a fourth round pick for him is pretty much a no-brainer he would bring some immediate help for the Lions so So right here, as we say, Ridge Woolen looks like the more practical swing for the Lions. Well, the other name, obviously, in the fold, as we mentioned, Sauce Gardner from the Indianapolis Colts. The trade that they made for him cost, ultimately, Chris Ballard his job because, along with him and some of the other decisions he made, he was fired on Monday. Well, let's take a look at Sauce Gardner with his situation. First of all, he's considered week to week after suffering a mild calf strain. Now, we all know what that could mean, right? Again, look back to Joey Porter Jr. How much was he really injured with his so-called back pain? So maybe they're holding him out to potentially find a trade partner. Here's Gardner's recent history as far as what he's been doing. Again, played up over average with his tackles per game and whatnot. So an idea for him. He's obviously got a history of a big playmaker, and I know he has shown interest in coming back to Detroit. So one of the things also, just a thought, the only thing that matters is he's not playing well. Well, again, that is hard to say, right? Now, Sauce Gardner, the thought is he's a superstar gamble. No question about it. So what would you be giving up for Sauce Gardner? What's his contract look like? It's steeper, obviously. he's going to be paid 9.5 million and he's got a guaranteed well he's got a contract and a cap hit through 2031 so those are some of the things to keep in mind with Sauce Gardner and also with Ridge Woolen what would you do what would who would you take of the two would you give up that third round or fourth round pick for Ridge Woolen i think it's going to cost more than that for Sauce Gardner it's going to be more like a first or a second round pick at least the second round pick I don't think they could they could probably get him for less than a first but I know the Indianapolis Colts are going to be shopping him around now with that being said the game against the Packers we talked about it the Lions deficiency obviously is defense especially in the defensive backfield and we've been five for five trading yes on the total being over so many points and so we're going to do it again over 53 points I'm going to say yes trade the over make it six for six and trade with our brand new partner here on Lions Digest and that's Calshi now on Calshi you're trading directly against other users not the traditional sports book you're buying yes or no contracts on the outcomes of events across sports politics even the weather now let's take a look at that again when you've got the the over is 53 and a half that i'm going to trade yes on five for five throughout the year i'm going to trade 25 on that and in doing so i'll get 47 and 39 cents back now why do you say trade 25 it's simple if you're interested in trying out Calshi, make sure that you use the link in the description and use the promo code Digest NFL and when you trade your first 25 with that promo code you'll get 55 back in your account instantly. It's that simple. All the games in the NFL trade on Calshi. All right, all this talk about the cornerback situation with the Lions, with, you know, looking after potentially Sauce Gardner or Ridge Walling. What about what they've got right now? I want to take a look at the play of Ennis Rakestraw. He played fantastically in the game against Carolina and also played well against Arizona. The Lions now, I think, are going to count on him even more going forward against the Packers, especially up until we do get somebody via free agency or at the trade deadline. Another rookie that played very, very well for the Lions against Arizona that head coach Dan Campbell is high on, and that's Keith Abney. They may count on him to kind of play both positions safety and corner and especially speaking of safety Brian Branch as Dan Campbell said yesterday he's going to see some action against the Packers on Sunday it's not sure how much so those are some interesting keys too when you're thinking about what should the Lions do at the deadline and my last question going back to Sauce Gardner would you trade for him only at a bargain B no not at that contract yes if he's healthy and that's the question is he truly hurt they say it could be week to week with a mild calf strain we know how those mild injuries really go when it comes to some players that might not be playing for the team much longer all right that's going to do it for this edition of Tiger or Lions Digest again i want to remind everybody coming up this Sunday, we're going to have our first live Captain Lou cast. It's going to be a live play-by-play live interaction of the entire contest with the Lions and Packers. Join me. Stop in and be a part of the conversation throughout the game. Live updates, the whole thing. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's our inaugural live watch-along. We're calling it the Captain Lou cast. 4-15 Sunday afternoon Eastern time for the Lions and Packers game. We invite you to join us for that. right here on Lions Digest well that's going to do it i want to thank everybody for taking time out to be with us however you watched us around the world and again if you haven't done it yet i invite you to hit that subscribe button it's free come along with the journey with the lions with us here in 2026. until next time captain lou saying keep your heads up Keep your sticks down, keep your feet moving, and as always, keep your minds open. So long.