There have been all kinds of reports, rumors and whatnot in recent weeks, and it's happening. According to multiple reports, the Detroit Lions are acquiring defensive end Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns.
The Lions are reportedly sending a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Cleveland for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Update, 2:52 p.m. ET: The Lions have officially announced the trade to acquire Smith.
Welcome to Detroit, @zadariussmith❗️
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 5, 2024
Apart from still being a good player at a premium position at 32 years old, Smith's remaining contract made him a very appealing trade target. Spotrac broke down the finances of the move.
Trading DE Za'Darius Smith
— Spotrac (@spotrac) November 4, 2024
New Team Acquires
2024: $605,000 (gtd)
2025: $11M (non-gtd)
The Browns have already paid down $11,395,000 of Smith's 2024 compensation, making him an ideal deadline move.
Smith has five sacks and six tackles for loss in nine games for the Browns this season, and he enters Week 10 as a top-25 graded edge defender by Pro Football Focus. Over the last three games, PFF credited him with 17 of his 27 pressures for the season as he seemed to have a surge to get the attention of teams who wanted to trade for him.
Lions make ideal move, add Za'Darius Smith to their defensive front
Without Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, the Lions had a clear need at defensive end. They have addressed it.
Smith (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) fits the physical profile the Lions want in edge players. As shown above, he remains a good player and he wasn't likely to be in any way prohibitively costly in a trade. A report last week from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggested the Browns were looking to get a "decent Day 3 pick" for Smith, and while the Lions parted with two Day 3 picks (the definition of "decent" is subjective), they also got one back.
On the news of the trade, Fowler followed up to confirm the Browns waited the to see if anyone else would develop a need for pass rush help, and that they originally wanted a fourth-rounder for Smith. The former apparently didn't not happen in a serious way, and they didn't get a fourth-rounder.
The sense coming out of Monday was that the Lions were waiting out the Browns, who, by keeping Za'Darius Smith through Week 9, could see if another team developed a major need at pass rush. Browns originally wanted a 4th but now get a 5th/6th for Smith and a 7th.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 5, 2024
Smith should make his Lions' debut Sunday night against the Houston Texans, and a couple weeks ago head coach Dan Campbell spoke about how quickly a new player could be integrated into the system.
“I think we’re going to find a way to get this guy in immediately,” Campbell said. “I was going to say some of the (defensive) terminology, well even if it’s limited, I think you’re trying to get that player going as fast as possible. But I don’t want to tell you, ‘Absolutely, they would walk right in.’ But I think that would be the idea.”