After weeks of reports and rumors, and late indications if was going to get done, the Detroit Lions indeed acquired defensive end Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday.
Albeit before he plays a snap for the Lions, it's hard (but not impossible) to find a flaw with the move to acquire Smith or Smith as a player. He adds pass rush production and veteran leadership to a defensive line that needed a good dose of both, and the overall cost to acquire him was remarkably reasonable.
It's no wonder the Lions had gone "back and forth for weeks" with the Browns about Smith, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter on "The Pat McAfee Show" after the news of the trade on Tuesday.
"When Aidan Hutchinson went down, conversations started right away between the Browns and the Lions,” Schefter said. “The Browns reached out about exploring a trade and the two sides went back and forth here for weeks, and at various points, it felt like it might not happen … there are a lot of factors that go into each of these moves all the time.”
There really aren't any losers on the Lions' end of the Smith trade right now. There are only winners before there are results to react to on the field. They got the edge rusher they pretty clearly wanted over any other, not to mention the clear-cut need they had at the position that demanded a move be made at the trade deadline. Smith appears to be an ideal schematic fit, as he's a stout run defender to go with his pass rushing production.
Time will tell how this holds up, but here are the three biggest winners of the Lions' trade for Smith.