Dan Campbell Gets Honest on Lions Inactivity at NFL Trade Deadline

The Detroit Lions didn’t make any final moves before the NFL trade deadline passed at 4 pm ET Tuesday.

That was largely expected. But that doesn’t mean the Lions didn’t have opportunities to make trades.

On Wednesday, head coach Dan Campbell offered reporters a slight look behind the curtain on the team’s inactivity at the deadline.

“There were things that popped up. After I talked to you guys, there were some things here and there,” Campbell said. “There was nothing that I would say was enough to be noteworthy. It was certainly more intriguing, but it wasn’t good enough.

“So, you know, all good, we’re ready to roll.”

Instead of a trade, the Lions made two more minor moves right after Tuesday’s deadline. Detroit released tight end Kenny Yeboah and offensive lineman Justin Herron.

Both of those players were previously on the team’s injured reserve since August 10.

Dan Campbell Reacts to Lions Inactivity Before NFL Trade Deadline

Campbell didn’t offer any specifics on what deals the Lions could have done that he didn’t consider “good enough.” But the overall message Campbell delivered to reporters Wednesday was that he has more confidence in the players already on Detroit’s roster than anyone the organization could have acquired in the trade market.

“You know your own guys. You’ve been around them. You’ve seen them. You know the greatness behind them, and you know the warts too,” said Campbell.

“As long as they’re continuing to grow and get better and get better, our trust goes up in those guys. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect. But yet, it gives you faith in those guys. Until further notice, they’re going to have to prove us wrong.”

Campbell really stressed how valuable it is to know a player. The head coach said he recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of everyone on his roster because he’s been around them in practice and on game days.

The Lions would be starting from scratch with any player they acquired on November 4.

That approach to the NFL trade deadline was what a lot of coaches and general managers took for years. It wasn’t until more recently the NFL trade deadline became something closer to other sports, where there’s a flurry of activity.

That’s not to say Campbell and the Lions are against the league’s more modern approach to the deadline. Campbell just strongly suggested Wednesday there wasn’t someone available worth acquiring this year.

Fred Warner's replacement has become a golden 49ers trade chip for offseason

When the San Francisco 49ers lost their star linebacker Fred Warner to a brutal ankle injury, it was fair to worry the defense would be abysmal the rest of the season.

That has not been the case, and a large part of it has to do with the success of Warner's replacement, Tatum Bethune.

To be clear, Bethune is no Warner. Then again, no player is. What Warner brings to the table with his play and as an emotional leader is simply unmatched.

But Bethune has still done a nice job of filling in.

Since being thrust into the starting middle linebacker role, Bethune has recorded 10 tackles or more in each game he has started. From his first start in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons when San Francisco's defense limited Atlanta to just 10 points, he has shown that the defense can, at the very least, survive without Warner.

In Week 9 against the New York Giants, Bethune even eclipsed Warner's career-high for total tackles in a single game, so he has shown that he is more than capable of holding down the fort.

Bethune is going to have to continue to hold down the fort for the rest of this season, but what does his success mean for the Niners at linebacker going forward?

Tatum Bethune might just be ideal 49ers trade bait this offseason

Warner is going to be back next season, which would likely relegate Bethune to bench duties again, unless they tried to play him at weak-side linebacker, which is where Dee Winters has been at this point.

That's one option, or the 49ers could try to trade Bethune to a team in need of a middle linebacker to help lead their defense. It remains to be seen what the Niners could get for him, but if they got a mid-round draft pick or maybe an edge rusher to provde more depth in an area they have been decimated, that could be a decent return.

Of course, there is also an argument to be made for the Niners trying to retain as much depth as they possibly can, given their perennial injury issues. Perhaps trading away depth would not be the wisest strategy after what they have endured so far this season.

Still, trading Bethune is a legitimate option, given the success he's had filling in for Warner. They could at least get something for him rather than watch him walk in free agency eventually.

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