The Detroit Lions have gone through the first wave of claiming players off the waiver wire on Wednesday, only picking up two defensive linemen: DE Tyrus Wheat and DT Tyler Lacy. That brings the teams' previously short-handed 53-man roster up to 52 players. So, one more move is left to be made by Detroit.
That move, of course, feels destined to be the bringing back of Za'Darius Smith to add to the already potent pass rush the team has in their starting rotation. Bringing Smith back to help Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson establish one of the better D-line attacks in the NFC would do wonders for the teams' ability to take the burden off of their secondary, which is looking thin.
Smith has drawn interest from multiple contenders, according to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler prior to the finalization of the Lions' 53-man roster. And, Smith and the Lions have apparently kept an open dialogue throughout the offseason and training camp as Smith has major interest in returning to the team.
With one roster spot remaining in earnest, this is the closest it feels like we will get to a Smith reunion coming to fruition.
Smith seems destined to return and round out Lions' 53-man roster
The Lions are reportedly signing Jackson Meeks and Trystan Colon to their practice squad after both players went unclaimed on Wednesday afternoon, and Wheat and Lacy round out two out of the three remaining spots on the Lions' roster. The team also waived multiple members of their training camp defensive line, like Brodric Martin, Isaac Ukwu, and most notably Nate Lynn.
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Clearly, the team is gearing up to fill a big void at the pass rush soon. That's a perfect role for Smith. He finished up his 2024 season with nine sacks, and was a great stopgap solution for Detroit after Hutchinson broke his leg early in the year and Davenport was out early with a torn triceps.
It's been really quiet on the Smith front from the Lions' side, but general manager Brad Holmes had most recently mentioned earlier in August that he'd have interest in bringing him back and that the two sides had been in touch. A reunion isn't out of the question, especially as Detroit still has some cap flexibility before extending Hutchinson, Brian Branch, and Jameson Williams.