The chatter around the complement for the Detroit Lions' star edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, has now softened a little as GM Brad Holmes might have found an answer from a potential trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

According to Kristopher Knox of the Bleacher Report, the Motor City team might lay their hands on the Steelers’ edge rusher Alex Highsmith in a potential trade with the Steelers.

"To be clear, there hasn't been any real trade buzz involving Pittsburgh Steelers edge-defender Alex Highsmith,” Knox wrote. “The Steelers won't have any interest in moving the 28-year-old at a bargain price…However, a strong offer should at least generate some interest in Pittsburgh."

Knox has prepared a list of ten NFL players who might end up getting traded as the minicamps are coming to an end ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

Among those ten names, Knox highlighted that GM Omar Khan would be interested in trading Highsmith if the offering is lucrative enough.

After the departure of Al-Quadin Muhammad, the Lions were looking for a complement to Hutchinson. 

To pursue their endeavors, the Lions drafted Derrick Moore and signed DJ Wonnum to fill the void in their roster. 

Trading of Highsmith would not only help the Lions on the gridiron but also with their cap space.

As Highsmith is just two years out of his four-year contract at $68M completion, the Lions have to take on his $14.5 million in non-guaranteed base salary for this and $15.5 million non-guaranteed base salary for 2027.

It would be a wild shot for the Lions to get the trade done with the Steelers, as per Knox’s report, 31 other teams might be interested in Highsmith.

Amid the trade row, the Lions received ‌good news about Moore’s minicamp performance.

Derrick Moore makes strong impression at the Detroit Lions minicamp

The Detroit Lions have successfully concluded their minicamps, and their newly drafted defensive end, Derrick Moore, has gained confidence in his gameplay, per John Maakaron of Detroit Lions on SI.

"My overall impression is, I feel like there's a lot of pressure on our room, but I'm just happy to be there," said Moore. "Really just happy to learn from all the guys, like Hutch, PT (Payton Turner), D.J. (Wonnum), and Hassan (Ahmed Hassanein). I'm just happy to learn from all the guys.“

Moore highlighted that he gained knowledge about the nuances of the NFL while playing with the veteran talent of the Lions.

As he mentioned previously about being a “sponge” in his rookie NFL season, he is excited to implement his learnings further to sharpen his skills. 

The first month for him has been a positive experience, as he continues to learn the system and works to find his niche early in his career.

With the potential trade of Highsmith and a successful minicamp for Moore, the Lions are on track to contend for their NFC North title, which they lost previously. 

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Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker