Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked twice Monday if a trade for a pass rusher was imminent. He answered both questions the same way — “could be” — and playfully hopped up and down when delivering his second response.
The jumping and giddiness of Campbell caused some to speculate. Many read his body language and hypothesized the team was gearing up to land someone the fourth-year coach was excited about.
But less than 24 hours later, Campbell played the whole thing down.
“You guys are wasting energy,” Campbell said Tuesday morning during his appearance on the Costa and Jansen with Heather Show on 97.1 The Ticket.Further explaining himself, Campbell said the reporter “wouldn’t take” his first answer, “so I just jumped up and down with the same answer. That’s literally all that was.”
Since losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season on Oct. 13, fans have been clamoring for general manager Brad Holmes to make a move and acquire someone who can consistently get after opposing quarterbacks. So far, the Lions have leaned on their depth, turning to the recently signed Isaiah Thomas and practice-squad call-ups such as Al-Quadin Muhammad and Isaac Ukwu. James Houston has been involved, too.
Josh Paschal is the No. 1 option off the edge with Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport out, but he missed Sunday’s 52-14 win over the Titans due to an illness. Muhammad served as the No. 1 against Tennessee, posting six pressures on a team-high 34 pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
“Honestly, we’re still looking into it,” Campbell added Tuesday. “It’s not like this has stopped. Don’t forget, some of these really good players or players that you think can help, if they’re good, most teams won’t let them go. We’re working through all that, Brad is doing a great job. This continues.
“Look, maybe it happens, maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know; I honestly don’t know. I feel like it changes every day. We’ll just take it as it comes. And like I say, this is the squad, and this is the squad we’re going to get ready to play every week.”