No, the Detroit Lions are not a key player in the trade between the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans that sent quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland. But a change in the trade terms from what was originally reported does rope the Lions into the transaction — indirectly.
When the NFL revealed the official trade transaction, the picks included in the deal from Cleveland were different than what was expected. An extra draft pick was included, the No. 107 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
That’s the pick that the Lions traded to the Browns during the draft last year. Detroit dealt the future pick to Cleveland to move up and select LB Derrick Barnes. The Lions packaged a fifth-round pick last year and the fourth-rounder in 2022 to snag the Purdue standout. Detroit also received the seventh-round pick that became RB Jermar Jefferson in the deal.
From the NFL’s official transaction log:
