Wednesday open thread: Should the Lions be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

Sitting at 2-3 after five games is a crisis in identity, especially if you’ve performed like the Detroit Lions. Three losses against meddling teams like the 49ers, Jets and Cowboys. Two huge wins over the Packers and Patriots.

As we debated earlier in the week, it’s really hard to tell if the Lions are pretenders or contenders right now, but identity aside, the Lions are just a single game out of the division lead... while also simultaneously being at the bottom of the NFC North.

The NFL trade deadline is two weeks away (October 30) and the speculation surrounding all 32 teams is starting to really heat up. Typically speaking, if you’re a team struggling now and looking ahead to the future, now would be a good time to put some of your short-term assets on the trade block to acquire future draft picks. If you’re a contender, but just a player or two away from being a serious contender, you may be looking for that one missing piece. However, it’s not always simple.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Should the Lions be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

My answer: This is one of those complicated situations that probably doesn’t have one right answer. The Lions are in the thick of things, and it’s not worth it to trade a key piece of the team right now. Golden Tate shouldn’t be on the block, because it’s clear the Lions can contend with some good teams right now, and he’s such a key part to the offense that there’d be a significant negative impact on the rest of the season if he were shipped to another team.

However, there are some tradable assets on the team that the Lions would only be minimally affected by their loss. A guy like Ameer Abdullah probably wouldn’t gain a ton in return on a trade, but the Lions’ former second-round pick was inactive for the Lions’ first four games, and only returned a couple kickoffs in Week 5.

So I wouldn’t really call them “sellers,” but they do a have at least one tradeable asset.

However, this team also does not appear to be close enough right now to be considered buyers. Detroit needs a lot more young talent on their roster that fits what the new coaching staff is looking for, especially on defense. Outside of Da’Shawn Hand, there are very few young prospects that look to be a key part of this defensive future, and the Lions have already sold away some of their 2018 draft capital.

Spending a future pick on a veteran edge rusher or cornerback would absolutely help in the short term, and it may even be enough for Detroit to contend for their first division crown in over 25 years, but if the Lions’ true goal is to build a consistent dynasty capable of bringing in championships, I’m not sure it’s the prudent move to make.

In other words, I’m totally fine with the Lions standing pat at the trade deadline, unless they can truly get a steal in one way or the other.

Your turn.