Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard, successfully led an injury-plagued defense unit to win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team defended 12 passes and totaled 40 quarterback pressures. However, that might not be enough when they face the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams, the teams with impressive offensive master minds. Dan Campbell’s team needs a weapon.

And while Colton Pouncy praised the Lions for ranking second in the NFL in point differential, he stressed the need for the Lions to make another important trade. “That said, the Lions should be looking to acquire depth at the deadline. Their secondary depth has been hit hard,” Pouncy shared.

Despite losing former coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, the team has performed exceptionally well, sacking Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield four times and hitting him eight times altogether. The offense has been good, but as mentioned above, injuries have also troubled the defense.

“They’ve played the majority of the season without oft-injured starting edge rusher Marcus Davenport. And while the Lions have gotten by with the pieces in place, some insurance depth could help them down the road and avoid a repeat of last year, when they went 15-2 in the regular season but lost their only playoff game.”

And the Lions might have already been at work to add depth. Jonathan Jones reported that the team might be interested in adding a pass rusher, Arden Key.

“One name I could absolutely see getting dealt is edge rusher Arden Key,” Jones wrote. Recalling the team’s previous interest in the player, he wrote, “I’m keeping an eye on the Lions and 49ers. Detroit had strong interest in Key in the pre-draft process, and the Niners had Key in 2021.”

The third-round pick of 2018 gained traction back in 2021 when he played for the San Francisco 49ers. He had 6.5 sacks. He joined the Tennessee Titans in 2023. His career-best came in 2024 when he racked up 6.5 sacks plus 38 pressures. This season, he’s posted 1.5 sacks before his quad injury slowed him down.

However, his injury might not be a season-ending one. He could be a good fit if the Lions look to pair him up with defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson (11 pressures) and Al-Quadin Muhammad, who have been a huge part of the unit.

In fact, these rumors carry even more weight now as the Lions have lost another player from their roster.

Dan Campbell’s LB Zach Cunningham’s return was short-lived

The Lions have placed veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham on injured reserve after his injury in Week 7. Cunningham had missed several weeks due to his hamstring injury that he sustained in Week 3. This was his first game after his injury, but he left early because the injury flared up again.

So far this season with the Lions, he has played only four games, mostly on special teams, with minimal defensive snaps. This means he will now be sidelined for an extended period.

In his absence, the team will hope to get linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez back from a torn ACL soon.

The ten-year NFL veteran, Cunningham, spent most of his career with the Houston Texans and has also played for the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Denver Broncos. He was once the NFL’s leading tackler in 2020, but injuries have limited his playtime in recent seasons.