Lions stand pat at NFL trade deadline

The 2014 NFL trade deadline has passed without the Detroit Lions making any moves. Given what Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said last week, this was the expectation coming into Tuesday, so it's no surprise that the team decided to stand pat.

In recent years, the Lions have been at the center of some trade rumors involving wide receivers, but that wasn't the case by any means this year. With the offseason addition of Golden Tate, the Lions have found their complement to Calvin Johnson, and even though Megatron has been injured this season, he should be back after the bye week. Add in Corey Fuller, who has shown a lot of promise, and there was no need to even think about adding a wide receiver this year.

There was also no need for the Lions to even think about adding any defensive players this year. Their depth has been tested at positions like linebacker and cornerback because of injuries, but the Lions have had one of the top defenses in the NFL so far this season. A lot of players have stepped it up when called upon, and as a result, the Lions weren't in a position where a trade was necessary on that side of the ball.

When the Lions return from their bye week, it may feel like they made some moves at the deadline simply because so many players are expected to return from injuries. Johnson, Reggie Bush, Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria, Eric Ebron, LaAdrian Waddle and Kyle Van Noy should all return to action after the bye week, as should TJ Jones, who is currently on the PUP list (in his case, he will likely simply return to practice). Getting those players back will be much more impactful than any trade could have been.