Dan Campbell on Lions' passive trade deadline: "We love our guys"

As several contenders made splashy additions ahead of the deadline, the Lions mostly stood pat. Aside from acquiring a depth safety in Andre Cisco, Brad Holmes and the Lions let the deadline pass without upgrading their roster.

A day later, Dan Campbell was asked about his confidence in the team's ability to chase a championship after its inactivity on the trade market.

"I feel good," Campbell said Wednesday. "We love our guys, man. I love our guys. These guys are competitive, there's been constant, consistent improvement, and we're pretty good with depth right now. I think we're in a good spot here, man, as long as these guys just keep improving, keep trying to correct all the little things and we keep gaining confidence and finding ways to win. That's what it's about."

In the NFC North, the Bears and Vikings both made big moves. Chicago sent two first-round picks to the Titans for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, while the Vikings filled their urgent need at quarterback by bringing back Kirk Cousins for a third-round pick.

Elsewhere in the NFC, the 49ers added a pair of proven vets in defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for a fourth-round pick and receiver Keenan Allen for a sixth, and the Seahawks acquired stalwart guard Quenton Nelson for a third-rounder and a fifth.

The Cowboys made a bold move back in September, sending a second-rounder and fifth-rounder to the Steelers for star corner Joey Porter Jr. and outbidding the Lions in the process.

Campbell's reaction to the teams around them making moves?

"Nothing," he said. "We gotta get ready to play New England. I know what our squad looks like, I know who they are, and we're gonna have them ready to play and ready to compete. That's what I know."

Both the Jaguars and the Bills loaded up in the AFC, among others. Jacksonville acquired defensive tackle Jordan Davis from the Eagles for first- and second-round picks, and star safety Jessie Bates from the Falcons for a second and a fifth.

The Bills landed star safety Amani Hooker from the Titans for a second-rounder, while getting a fifth-rounder back, the sort of move that could have paid long-term dividends for the Lions.

The Lions had some clear needs on defense, particularly at corner and linebacker. They acknowledged the former when Campbell said they were "very much in on" Porter Jr. before he wound up in Dallas, and the latter came into focus when they lost Jack Campbell and Jimmy Rolder to serious injuries two weeks ago.

But Detroit's defense has significantly improved the past four games after a brutal start, albeit against mostly weak offenses. Asked if their turnaround on that side of the ball informed their approach to the deadline, Campbell said that the Lions believed they would play better on defense all along.

They simplified some of the coverages in the secondary and dialed back the blitzes, and got a real boost from the return of Brian Branch.

"You can't explain it when you're out there and you're watching (the struggles) and it's like, man, but we knew internally we could be better with the crew we had," Campbell said. "Maybe a couple of moves and those guys kept cleaning up some of the little issues, and then, man, the trust goes up, the confidence goes up, and then we start playing as more as a unit, more as one. The rush and the coverage go hand in hand, and now it's starting to play together.

"So when you're doing that, you're like, 'OK, it's what we thought it would be. This isn't a fire alarm now.' Not that we felt that way, but certainly when you're seeing it, it's like, do we need some help? Do you not? And a lot of things were looked at but yeah, we feel pretty good right now. And getting Cisco will help."

For the Lions, Cisco provides both insurance in the event that Kerby Joseph's comeback goes awry and immediate assistance at free safety. Campbell said the plan is to "get him going" Sunday in Germany against the Patriots "and let him help us a little bit. How much, that's not quite there yet, but we do have a plan for him to help us."

Joseph, sidelined for over a year by a chronic knee injury, returned to practice two weeks ago. He won't play Sunday. The Lions have until Wednesday the 18th to either active the star safety or shut him down for the season. The uncertainty of Joseph's status is "one of the reasons we got Cisco," Campbell said.

"It's good to see where Kerby's at right now. We're going into another week, we're about to get two or three days of football work with him. No setbacks. That's a good thing," said Campbell. "But also, we gotta be mindful that we may need depth there, so that one has been on our mind."

Fortifying the depth at linebacker after losing Jack Campbell and Rolder was another thing the Lions talked about, Campbell said. They just couldn't find a deal to their liking. They will lean heavily on Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske the rest of the way.

"We like that room a lot, and we do have some depth. But what happens is, Barnes is taking on more, Rodrigo's taking on more, Now's taking on more -- that's not really the biggest issue -- now it's special teams. How do we replenish (those reps) and get the depth? So absolutely our eyes are there," Campbell said. "We were looking at it, looking at things, and it didn't work out. And we're gonna get Devin White back here at some point."