With the Nov. 4 trade deadline around the corner, the chatter around the Detroit Lions has centered around the potential pursuit of a cornerback or an edge rusher. Time will tell if Brad Holmes gets a deal done on those fronts, but pivoting to other potential ideas his comments about continuously cultivating a unit that has been at the core of the team's success are telling.
"I just think you've got to keep the whole garden watered at all points," Holmes said about the offensive line duringhis season-ending press conferencelast January. "And so, it's going to be the whole unit, because I mean, that is – that's the engine for us."
The Lions then drafted two offensive lineman in April, to go with the two they drafted in 2024. Two of those four, Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany, are the current starters at right and left guard respectively and the look to be long-term stalwarts.
Right tackle Penei Sewell is also a long-term stalwart, to put it lightly. The future at the other two offensive line spots, with Frank Ragnow retired and Taylor Decker closer to the end of his career than the beginning, are question marks and you can bet Holmes is keenly aware of it.
Versatile rookie Miles Frazier might become the successor for Ragnow at center, and Giovanni Manu might be that for Decker at left tackle.
Trade proposal offers Lions a potentially better plan behind Taylor Decker
Decker has been battling through a shoulder injury for most of the season, with two games missed because of it. Even with the bye week now in the rearview mirror, it's clear the issue will have to managed carefully from here on out.
Decker is one of those "doesn't have to practice in order to play" players, but more missed games are in play before the season is over. It's also clear the combination of Manu and Dan Skipper is not ideal to replace him, given how critical it is to protect Jared Goff well.
Among his list of 12 "dream" trade deadine deals, Conor Orr of SI has the Lions making a move for an offensive lineman.
"Saints OT Trevor Penning to the Lions"
"Price: 2026 fourth-round pick"
"Trevor Penning did not have his fifth-year option picked up by the Saints. The former first-round pick has guard/tackle flexibility and could help the Lions ease the burden of a banged-up Taylor Decker and continue the team’s push to replenish the lifeblood of their team. Penning had a promising rookie debut but has been subjected to some bad Saints teams and offensive lines that did not necessarily offer a lot of complementary aid. The Saints are going to push for as much draft equity as possible as they reshape a roster under Kellen Moore, who spent a first-round pick on a tackle, Kelvin Banks Jr., in this past year’s draft."
A first-round pick by the Saints in 2022, Penning's rookie season was derailed early by a foot injury that kept him on IR until November. He started five games at left tackle in his second season, then he started all 17 games at right tackle in 2024. He moved inside to left guard this year, with five starts around another injury as his work has broadly not been well-regarded.
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Penning carries the scarlet letter of a first round bust, and he may not be able to ever fully turn that status around. But it's also fair to say the situation in New Orleans has not been conducive to success, and he's headed for a change of scenery after the season.
In Detroit Penning would get excellent front-line tutelage from offensive line coach Hank Fraley, to say nothing of how Decker, Sewell, Graham Glasgow, etc. could have a positive impact on him as veteran presences. If a deal was swung for Penning, and the Saints should be open to moving him, it might not even take a fourth-round pick like Orr proposed.
Holmes rightfully wants to keep the Lions' offensive line garden "watered", which means some movement toward what left tackle will look like post-Decker is on the radar. A trade flier on Penning, to see if he has what it takes in a better situation, could be worthwhile.