How Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson helped shape Lions DE Isaiah Thomas' approach and playing style
Allen Park — When replays revealed the uncomfortable severity of the situation, confirming Aidan Hutchinson’s season would be over, Detroit Lions fans went through truncated stages of grief, progressing rapidly from dismay to hypothetical bartering.
Heartbreak gave way to the concoction of hypothetical trades to replace the Pro Bowl edge rusher, who had been an early-season front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year. Of course, you can’t replace a potential All-Pro with just anyone. Oh no, you need to replace them with another All-Pro. So despite going against every tenet general manager Brad Holmes has established while rebuilding this downtrodden franchise into a Super Bowl contender, the dreamers dreamed.
Bring Maxx Crosby home, they said. Others argued the Browns surely recognize another rebuild is on the horizon, so Myles Garrett can be had. Or how about Trey Hendrickson? The Bengals are struggling, right? The three-time Pro Bowler — who overlapped with Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn in New Orleans — requested a trade this offseason, didn’t he?
It all makes perfect sense. Make the call, Brad!
And while only the most foolish would say, ‘No, it will never happen,’ the fact remains each scenario is highly unlikely. These Lions have established priorities. Success has been achieved through a draft-and-develop strategy, and the second part of that equation is rewarding development with contract extensions. In the past few months, the Lions have awarded three players from Holmes’ first draft class with monster deals, culminating with a four-year pact for Alim McNeill this week.
The idea they’d ship out a first-round pick or two for another team's star is a wildly entertaining hypothetical, but nonetheless out of character. Instead, the Lions have informed us they initially intend to make do with what they have, while methodically exploring their options to supplement the horses in their stable.
In the meantime, rather than Crosby, Garrett or Hendrickson, how about a next-to-no-cost developmental option with exciting physical traits who studied under the learning trees of two of those three players?
Meet, Isaiah Thomas, who the Lions poached off the Bengals' practice squad this week. Cool name, right? It's spelled differently, but it still resonates around these parts.