Stephon Gilmore is the type of player the Detroit Lions need.

And there are several reasons why.

Firstly, rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah is playing below expectations, a concern Lions fans before the draft. After all, when a team drafts a cornerback in the top five, you’re banking on a Deion Sanders or Charles Woodson type of talent. Okudah’s tackling is excellent. 

His coverage is another story. 

It’s almost nine weeks into the season, and Okudah hasn’t even played better than former Lions player Andre Goodman. Look that one up, kids!

Secondly, the Desmond Trufant experiment is a failure. The mere fact that the injury-prone veteran was a Darius Slay “replacement” is a problem. The Lions already had a Pro-Bowl cornerback in Slay. However, his relationship with Lions head coach Matt Patricia began to sour over time. 

Sadly, instead of mending that relationship, the Lions chose to send him to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

And even though the Eagles hold a 3-4-1 record, Slay’s new team is currently first place in the NFC East. Quite frankly, there’s an argument that Slay is the best player in the Eagles secondary.

Lastly, the Lions are simply without a playmaker on defense. The Lions brought in Trey Flowers last year to be just that, a playmaker. And he’s shown flashes of it at times. While Flowers’ work in the community deserves high recognition, his work on the field has been inconsistent. So far this season, he has 22 tackles and two sacks. 

All of the reasons mentioned above are an excellent reason for the Lions to trade for Stephon Gilmore. 

Along those same lines, however it happens, the Lions should do like the famous slogan and “JUST SAY NO!” when it comes to the All-Pro corner.

Stephon Gilmore is the latest in Patriot retreads.

When the Lions hired general manager Bob Quinn, all fans in town knew “The Patriot Way” was coming to town. It was even more evident after countless additions of former New England Patriot players and staff. 

For some odd reason, Lions management has yet to figure out something so simple. It’s so simple that even casual football fans can spot it. 

As a matter of fact, it’s the world’s worst kept secret.

That is “The Patriot Way” doesn’t work without Bill Belichick and Tom Brady together. There are so many countless examples of it not working out if that combo isn’t leading it. If Matt Patricia is not a good enough example of this, then what about Bill O’Brien.

The Houston Texans fired O’Brien early into the season because his underachievement became overwhelming. Plain and simple. And after grossly mishandling the DeAndre Hopkins situation, O’Brien had to go.

Also, the Texans probably didn’t want him to ruin some guy by the name of Deshaun Watson. 

The Lions have to stop bringing in former Patriot players for any reason. It’s an old and tired act. It’s one thing for Quinn and Patricia to bring in the talent and staff that they’ve worked with before

That’s understandable because relationships go a long way in any business. However, the absurd amount of former Patriots the team brings to be band-aids is overbearing. 

With reports circulating that the Patriots are looking for a first-rounder and a player for Stephon Gilmore, it’s simply too much for a 30-year old cornerback. Yes, he won defensive player of the year last season, but will his addition fix their woes on offense? The answer is no.

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Stephon Gilmore is the answer for a team in contention to win it all.

Not the Detroit Lions.