The Detroit Lions are in no rush to trade for Aidan Hutchinson’s replacement

Many – including us – have begun speculating about which players the Detroit Lions might trade following Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. But coach Dan Campbell said Monday afternoon that he and general manager Brand Holmes weren’t rushing anything and would first look internally at their own players.

“We are in no hurry. I believe in the people who are here,” Campbell said. “I believe in this D-line. That doesn’t mean that we don’t search and don’t evaluate. Brad is, this is his job and he’s good at it. We take it as it comes. But our eyes are open and we want to make sure we have what we need here.”

With Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes all out with long-term injuries, the Lions certainly don’t have a ton of proven talent at the edge rusher position. On Sunday, undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu stepped in and played 36 snaps against the Dallas Cowboys. Second-year linebacker/EDGE Trevor Nowaske, who made his NFL defensive debut last week, played 29 snaps himself.

Detroit does have a few more veterans on its practice squad, but they just got here. Al-Quadin Muhammad has played in 84 NFL games and started 34, but was only signed last week and has just 12 sacks to his name. Cam Gill was signed at the same time and although he has 40 NFL games under his belt, he spent a majority of those games exclusively on special teams.

The Lions will also lean on players from other positions to help carry the load left by Hutchinson’s absence. Starting defenders Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal have all had strong starts to the season.

Campbell expressed his confidence in these players…and James Houston.

“Mac and Levi and (DJ) Reader and Paschal and the group that’s in there,” Campbell said. “Ukwu, we have Muhammad on the training squad, (Mitchell) Agude, Houston is still here. So we have options.”

Campbell’s confidence in the team’s continued development doesn’t just come from these players making progress. This comes from his trust in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to do what he has done the last three seasons: make do with the roster he has.

“We’ve been training here for four years and he’s done everything in his power to manage the personnel we have, use the players we have and get the best performance possible,” Campbell said. “We will be able to adapt to that. I have a lot of confidence in this D-line room.”

But Campbell also reiterated that Holmes is always working around the clock and as long as everything is right – including the fit, the price and the opportunity – they won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on a roster move.

“Everything is on the table, but we are not panicking. “Brad and I are not panicking, and this team is not panicking,” Campbell said. “It’s next man up and if we have an area where we need help, then we need to help each other out a little bit.”