Lions acquire Za'Darius Smith in trade with Browns

Help is on the way for the Detroit Lions' injury-depleted defensive line.

The Lions acquired Za'Darius Smith in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, adding a veteran pass rusher to their defense just hours before the 2024 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.

The Lions sent the Browns a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick, the Free Press confirmed.

The Lions (7-1) have won six straight and are atop the NFC, but have struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks since Aidan Hutchinson suffered a splint in a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 Broken fibula in left leg.

Hutchinson, who led the NFL with 7½ sacks at the time of his injury, will be out four to six months but could return if the Lions reach the Super Bowl.

The Lions, who also lost starter Marcus Davenport and strong linebacker Derrick Barnes to possible season-ending injuries, have pass-rushed in victories over the past three weeks against the Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers.

They had four sacks against the Vikings – one by defensive end Josh Paschal on an unblocked rusher and one each by linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez, Jack Campbell and Trevor Nowaske – and another (by linebacker Alex Anzalone on an unblocked rush) against the Titans, but They failed to sack Packers quarterback Jordan Love in 39 pass attempts Sunday.

In addition to Paschal's sack, the Lions have only had five other quarterback hits by defensive linemen in the last two games: DJ Reader had one against Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Levi Onwuzurike (two) and James Houston (one) had hits against the Titans' Quarterback Mason Rudolph. and Alim McNeill had one about Love.

Smith should provide immediate help to a pass rush that was 16th in the NFL in sack percentage (7.5%) entering the week.

Smith previously played for the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings and said earlier this fall that the idea of joining the Lions intrigued him.

“I'm staying positive, but now that you say that (about the rumors of a trade with the Lions), maybe things are looking good to me, a good feeling,” Smith told the Chronicle-Telegram following Hutchinson's injury.

The Lions spent the last three weeks begging the NFL for defensive help but found few teams willing to part with capable pass rushers.

They started the week with seven picks in next year's draft. They traded their 2025 third-rounder to the promotion and selected offensive tackle Gio Manu in the April draft, but had acquired an additional seventh-rounder as part of their deal to draft cornerback Terrion Arnold.

“We're talking about Hutch, we're not going to be able to replace Hutch, but there are other things we can do and you need to put more strain on your back end and that's what we did,” Campbell said. “They rose to the challenge. Was it perfect, no, but we get takeaways, which is huge, and when your special teams play (like it did against the Titans) and your offense, it all comes together, man.” “We played pretty well.”

Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

Lions acquire Za'Darius Smith in trade with Browns

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