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Why Detroit Lions passed on splashy moves at NFL trade deadline: 'We have a plan in place'
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- Why Detroit Lions passed on splashy moves at NFL trade deadline: 'We have a plan in place'
If the Detroit Lions are going to make a run to the Super Bowl this year, it's going to be largely with the players who brought them here.
The Lions made a minor move at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, acquiring wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick.
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Peoples-Jones had eight catches for 97 yards in seven games this season and should play a rotational role at the back end of the Lions' receiving corps.
"I think you always feel like you're one injury away and that was a position that we felt like if we can find a steady, reliable guy that fits us, that can play outside, that was something that we wanted to look and see if we can acquire," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "And DPJ out there we felt like really fit us. We feel like he fits our style and he's smart and he can play multiple positions. He plays everything for them out there, so we just feel like he'll be a good fit for the team and the room."
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Cleveland Browns' Donovan Peoples-Jones (11) celebrates his touchdown reception with Jarvis Landry during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals, Oct. 25, 2020, in Cincinnati.
While fellow NFC title contenders the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks made splashy moves to acquire big-name defensive players in recent days, the Lions opted for a more low-key addition that did not cost them much in the way of future draft capital.
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The Eagles, who currently have the best record in the NFL, traded safety Terrell Edmunds and two Day 3 draft picks to the Tennessee Titans for safety Kevin Byard last week.
The Seahawks acquired defensive tackle Leonard Williams from the New York Giants for a second-round pick on Monday; the Giants took on most of Williams' $10 million salary to facilitate the deal.
And the 49ers made the biggest move Tuesday, adding pass rusher Chase Young from the Washington Commanders for a third-round pick.
The Lions were not believed to be heavily involved in trade discussions for Young or fellow pass rusher Montez Sweat , who the Chicago Bears acquired for a 2024 second-rounder.
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Like Peoples-Jones, Young, Sweat and Williams are on expiring contracts.
"Ultimately, we said, Brad (Holmes) and I said from Day 1, we have a plan in place that we don't want to alter, we don't want to mess with that," Campbell said. "And we're in Year 3 of this right now or beginning of Year 3 and everything had to be right. I just go back, it had to be the right player, it had to be the right fit and it had to be the right price. All three of those, and that's not an easy thing to do. That's how we look at it, and so you know what? We found one."
Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young looks on during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Landover, Md. The Washington Commanders have decided not to pick up Chase Young’s fifth-year option, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday, April 26, 2023, because the team had not announced the decision.
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Asked for his reaction to other top NFC teams loading up on defense at the deadline, Campbell said, "Good for them."
Holmes said he scoured the NFL looking for roster upgrades for a Lions team that's off to its best start in nine years.
At 6-2, the Lions are two games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North and tied with the Miami Dolphins , Baltimore Ravens , Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars for the second-best record in the NFL.
"We look at every position," Holmes said. "A lot of these names that you might see pop up, they look good in the media, and they are names, but that's often — it's not reality. Those same names you see pop up, when you start getting into conversation, it just doesn't work out for the best for us. So every team has a different plight, every team is in a different place, different direction, different phase in their team building. But no, there's nothing that we leave unturned or ignored or anything. We look at every position, we look at everything and this was the best one for us."
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Holmes said Peoples-Jones essentially fills the backup receiver spot left open when the Lions cut Marvin Jones last week . Amon-Ra St. Brown , Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond are the Lions' starting receivers, and Jameson Williams and rookie Antoine Green have played as their top backups.
Michigan receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones high-fives fans as he walks down the tunnel for warmups before the Middle Tennessee State game at Michigan Stadium, Saturday, August 31, 2019.
A former Detroit Cass Tech star who went in the sixth round out of Michigan in the 2020 draft, Peoples-Jones has 117 catches for 1,837 yards and eight touchdowns in 50 career games.
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He finished second on the Browns with 61 catches last season, but was fifth on the team in targets this year behind receivers Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore , tight end David Njoku and running back Jerome Ford .
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"He brings versatility," Holmes said. "He's a big guy, he's got good contested-catch skills. He can play outside, he can play inside. He's a very smart player. He's been very, very durable. He just, he fits everything that we're about, so I think he'll fit in just fine. He's just another flavor that we're adding to our mix. And so it's a lot of things that he can do for us and we'll just see how quickly we can get him acclimated."
In other deadline deals Tuesday, the Vikings acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals to replace injured starter Kirk Cousins , sent guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round pick, and the Green Bay Packers traded cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills .
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions add 'right player,' 'right price' in Donovan Peoples-Jones
