The Detroit Lions made a big statement with Monday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bouncing back from their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and asserting themselves as one of the NFC’s top Super Bowl contenders.
The win also likely affirmed that the Lions will be buyers at the upcoming NFL trade deadline, bolstering some key positions on both sides of the ball. But one team insider believes the Lions could also make at least one subtraction, parting ways with a once-promising defensive lineman who has fallen down the depth chart this season.
Lions Could Give Fresh Start to 2024 Draft Pick
Reporter Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports noted that the Lions don’t have many obvious trade candidates on their team, the end result of careful roster building from general manager Brad Holmes. But the team could look to defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo as a chance to get back a late-round draft pick.
After appearing in 11 games his rookie season in 2024, the sixth-round pick has taken the field just once this season. Payton noted that he is a poor fit for Detroit’s defense and doesn’t have an obvious path to see more playing time.
“Why is Wingo available? It’s because he’s in a tough spot right now,” Payton wrote. “He just doesn’t seem to fit into what the Lions want to do on defense. Because of that, he’s been a healthy scratch every week since Week 2. Lions head coach Dan Campbell talked about it this week.”
Campbell noted that the return of defensive lineman Alim McNeill for the first time this season adds more depth to the team’s defensive line. Campbell noted that this could lead to some difficulty for Wingo as he isn’t a regular on special teams, making it likely he will remain a healthy scratch unless there is an injury ahead of him on the depth chart.
“It is a little bit of that now that you’ve got all your guys, where exactly does it fit?” Campbell said. “He can play some three and nose, but we’ve got a lot more versatility now. And then he’s not really special teams, so it just kind of puts him in one of those spots where he just keeps working.”
Payton cautioned that the Lions would not get a big return for Wingo, but could add some trade capital or serve as an add-on player in a bigger trade.
“What you should expect is something more like a 2026 seventh-round pick or that Wingo would potentially be involved in a trade package for another team,” Payton wrote.
Alim McNeill’s Big Return
The Lions got a big boost at the top of their depth chart with McNeill’s return for Monday’s win over the Buccaneers. He quickly made up for lost time, putting pressure on quarterback Baker Mayfield and knocking down a pass in the second quarter.
McNeill said it felt good to hear his name called and fans cheer him again, close to a year after he suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
“I forgot how that felt,” McNeill said, via the Detroit News. “Watching the game on the sideline when I was out, it’s like watching it like it was on TV. But being in it is so much different. That joy is what I was deprived of. I forgot how much I really, really, really love this game.”
