LOOK: Lions Ziggy Ansah included on ‘NFL trade deals that make sense’ list

The National Football League trade deadline is set for October 31st and one would assume that Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has been working the phones like a madman, trying to swing a deal to improve his roster.

In a recent post by Pro Football Focus titled, “2017 NFL trade deadline deals that make sense,” one Detroit Lion has been signaled out as a potential trade candidate and for once, it’s not tight end Eric Ebron.

According to PFF, one trade that makes perfect sense is the Lions sending Ziggy Ansah to the New England Patriots for running back Mike Gillislee and a third-round draft pick.

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From Pro Football Focus:

Ansah is in the final year of his rookie deal with the Lions, and with just 13 total pressures to his name this year after a disappointing (and injury-filled) 2016, it may be difficult for Detroit to rationalize paying him top dollar this offseason, especially when factoring the emergence of Anthony Zettel. Part of what makes the loss of Dont’a Hightower so significant for the Patriots is how they used him to manufacture a pass-rush, where he spent 32.9 percent of his snaps this season. The Patriots love size on the defensive line, and have been able to put Kyle Van Noy to good use, who was a trade deadline pickup from the Lions just last year.

For the Lions, they desperately need someone who can run with power between the tackles, as the current RB corps has managed to average just 2.8 yards per carry on runs that hit the gaps from guard-to-guard. Letting Ansah walk in the offseason would likely result in a 2019 third-round compensatory pick, thus dealing him now would result in an early Christmas present for Detroit.

Ansah, who is in the final year of his contract, has been extremely disappointing for the Lions since being selected to the Pro Bowl after racking up 14.5 sacks in 2015. Since then, he has played 19 games and only has six sacks.

Whether or not the Lions are even considering trading Ansah depends a ton on what their future plan for him is. If Quinn has already decided to part ways with him (which I believe the Lions should do), then Ziggy could certainly find himself playing elsewhere in the very near future or at the very least, being shopped around.