Thanks to a change made this past offseason, the NFL trade deadline is this week. In years past, it would have been a couple weeks ago. The change was made to give teams more time to figure out if they need to make a move to add a player or if they should part ways with a player to build for the future if their season isn't going so well.

Originally, the trade deadline was set for Tuesday, but Hurricane Sandy has forced it to be delayed two days. The NFL announced on Monday that the trade deadline will now be 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, giving teams two additional days to negotiate possible deals.

Last year, the Lions tried to trade running back Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for running back Ronnie Brown. That trade didn't go through after doctors discovered that Harrison had a brain tumor, but the Lions did try to make a move.

Will the Lions make a trade this year? It obviously remains to be seen, but Jim Schwartz didn't close the door on the possibility on Monday.

#Lions coach Jim Schwartz on #NFL trade deadline "Any path we can take to improve our team, we’re certainly willing to look."

— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) October 29, 2012

The Lions could certainly use help in the secondary at cornerback and safety, and those are the only positions I could really see them targeting. They seem quite happy with the one-two punch of Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell at running back, so a trade to add someone there doesn't really seem likely or necessary at this point. Never say never, though.

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