Za'Darius Smith was just cut by the Philadelphia Eagles from their reserved/retirement list after their signing of A.J. Epenesa. Smith, who had publicly expressed his desire to re-sign with the Detroit Lions following the 2024 season, and ended up getting totally snubbed by general manager Brad Holmes, is now available on the market.
Humor us, please.
Smith, the 6'4" pass rusher, fits with the Lions' reported desired archetype for pass rushers this offseason - big, and athletic. D.J. Wonnum is 6'5", and Derrick Moore is 6'3". Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions' star, is 6'7".
We know you're groaning. How could heigh correlate with the Lions' desire to want to reunite with Smith? The most important argument regarding him potentially re-signing with the team has to do with whether or not Wonnum can be a consistent force for the Lions alongside Moore. If not, signing Smith - who is "familiar" with the Lions - could be a nice insurance policy for Detroit.
Lions could zero in on Smith if Wonnum flames out
Smith had officially retired in October of last season after signing with the Eagles and recording just 1.5 sacks. So, it's unclear whether or not he'll be open to returning to play at all, let alone with the Lions. But, if Detroit was desperate to add depth to their pass rusher room for 2026, he could be worth a look.
Prior to his brief 2025, Smith had recorded nine total sacks between his time with the Lions and Cleveland Browns, in addition to one defended pass. While he was a much-needed spark plug for Detroit in 2024 following Hutchinson's leg injury, the team decided to opt for a cheaper option in Al-Quadin Muhammad in 2025. That obviously worked out alright for the Lions, although they also opted not to sign him. We're noticing a pattern...
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Of course, Detroit might try to rest on their rookie/young depth behind Moore and Wonnum. Tyre West, Payton Turner, Ahmed Hassanein, and Trevor Nowaske could be legitimate threats to the depth chart if they can remain healthy. But, Smith should remain on the Lions' radar if he can show that he's still in football shape.
What's better than...three tall shadows lurking on the Lions' depth chart at the edge?
Four.
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