For the last few weeks, with the trade deadline drawing nearer and nearer, Lions general manager Brad Holmes had been working the phones in search of help for the roster he constructed, and a pass-rusher to account for the loss of Aidan Hutchinson.
There were inquiries aplenty. Calls were made. Compensation discussed. But in the end, the Lions landed the top edge rusher available — Cleveland’s Za’Darius Smith.
“Look man, it’s good to get him here,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Smith to Fox 2 Detroit on Tuesday. “He brings an element of toughness. Smart football player. Can set an edge. Can get an edge in rush, close the pocket down. He’s just a really good complementary piece that I think is gonna work well with our guys.”
Welcome to Detroit, @zadariussmith❗️
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 5, 2024
In Smith, the Lions are getting a veteran edge rusher who widens the margin of error for a defense that’s lost some key pieces. It’s a long season, and with Detroit already without Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, Derrick Barnes, and others, a move for depth and a talent upgrade seemed all too necessary. Smith isn’t a 1-to-1 replacement for Hutchinson — few players are — but this was one of the better moves to be made this deadline.
Here’s what the Lions are getting in Smith, and how their pass-rush picture looks with him in the fold.
How the Lions have performed without Aidan Hutchinson
The Lions couldn’t afford to stand pat at the deadline. Not with a team this talented. The Lions own the NFC’s best record through nine weeks. They are 7-1 for the first time since 1956, having won six games in a row. They have the highest point differential in the league, the No. 1 scoring offense and the No. 5 scoring defense. But the Lions had a glaring need without Hutchinson, and the production from Detroit edge rushers in his absence left much to be desired.
- Josh Paschal has two pressures since Hutchinson went down, both against the Vikings. One was on an unblocked sack. Diagnosed with malignant melanoma on his left foot in college, Paschal has since recovered but has regular follow-ups with his doctors. Following a recent check-in, Paschal underwent a treatment that forced him to miss the last two games. Campbell expects him back this week.
- Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike has played a lot more defensive end out of necessity. Ideally, you like him as an interior rusher, but he’s taken on the challenge and given the Lions all he’s got. He had five pressures vs. the Titans, but just one against the Packers.
- The Lions signed Al-Quadin Muhammad following a tryout with the team last month. After an impressive debut vs. the Titans (six pressures) Muhammad recorded just one pressure vs. the Packers.
- Isaiah Thomas was signed off the Browns’ practice squad, but has just one pressure in two games played.
- James Houston, once a pass-rush specialist with eight sacks in seven games as a rookie, has taken a step back. He has seven pressures in the last three games but is susceptible to the run when he’s on the field and can’t be an every-down player.
In a crucial game vs. Green Bay, Lions edge rushers combined for six of Detroit’s 18 pressures. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill had seven of those 18 pressures. Excluding Onwuzurike, Detroit’s main edge rushers (Paschal, Houston, Thomas and Muhammad) have a combined 17 pressures from Weeks 7-9 combined. In his last full game, Hutchinson had 15 pressures by himself.
It put a spotlight on Detroit’s need for an edge rusher, and explains why they went and got arguably the top one on the market.
Why Za’Darius Smith made sense
Smith was a fit on a number of levels. First things first: he was available. It takes two to tango. For all the talk (or, borderline obsession) regarding Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett or even Trey Hendrickson, those teams had to show a willingness to play ball. They never did. It was always — always — a long shot to see one of those pass-rushers moved by the deadline.
In terms of realistic options, Smith was arguably the top pass-rusher available and the strongest fit for the Lions. Holmes is not one to mortgage the future. He builds through the draft and doesn’t believe in windows. He has always operated as such, which is why a move to acquire help without giving away valuable assets always made the most sense.
“I think when you start getting into that, ‘We’ve got this window, we’ve got this, so we’ve got to pivot,’ that’s when I think you kind of get into a little bit of trouble,” Holmes said earlier this year.
The fact the Lions were able to get Smith for essentially a fifth-rounder is good business. The Lions didn’t budge and give up their 2025 fourth-round pick. They instead sent Cleveland a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder (which could be toward the end of the sixth round) for Smith and a 2026 seventh-rounder from Cleveland (which could be near the top of the seventh round). Essentially, the Lions got Smith for a fifth-rounder and what could amount to a slight trade back from the late sixth to the early seventh round.
Additionally, the Lions will take on the remainder of Smith’s contract for the 2024 season, which comes out to $605,000. A small price to pay for a chance to keep a top-5 defense humming. Detroit got better without sacrificing its future.
How Smith fits in along Detroit’s defensive line
Smith himself couldn’t help but see the vision last month when asked about Hutchinson’s injury and the possibility of a trade to Detroit.
“Hate that injury happened to him, a guy that was on his way to get Defensive Player of the Year possibly,” Smith told the Chronicle-Telegram. “That’s a big loss for them. But if I was to go to Detroit, I would like it because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year. So, yeah, that’ll be big.”
Sounds like a guy who wanted to play for the Lions all along.
Smith has been productive everywhere he’s been — Baltimore, Green Bay, Minnesota and Cleveland — and the Lions are hoping that remains the case in Detroit. He’s been remarkably consistent and age hasn’t slowed him down. A year ago, Smith totaled 5.5 sacks, 60 pressures and a win rate of 18.5 percent. This year, his age 32 season, Smith is projected for 10 sacks, 54 pressures and owns a win rate of 19.1 percent.
Za’Darius Smith this season
-5 sacks (tied for 17th in the NFL)
-27 pressures (t-23rd among edge rushers)
-19.1% win rate (12th among edge rushers – min. 60 pass-rush snaps)
-Contract through 2025 season
Productive player!
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) November 5, 2024
Granted, a lot of players would benefit from playing with Garrett, which Smith did in Cleveland for 1.5 seasons. However, Smith has a track record that precedes his time with Garrett, and his game is scheme-versatile. You can line him up wide as a stand-up edge, put his hand in the dirt, have him win with effort, have him rush from the interior or work off stunts with defensive tackles — a testament to that versatility.
Speaking of defensive tackles, in Detroit, Smith will line up next to two of the better ones in the league. DJ Reader is a space-eating nose tackle whose impact rarely shows in the box score. He takes on double teams and does a lot of the dirty work in the interior. McNeill, meanwhile, is one of the best young defensive tackles in the NFL. He ranks 10th among defensive tackles in pressures with 27 and fifth in win rate at 14.7 percent (min. 60 pass-rush snaps). Then you have Onwuzurike’s 23 pressures as an inside-out player, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s affinity for sending his defensive backs and linebackers on blitzes. It should be more than enough to keep Smith producing.
Watch all 5⃣ of @zadariussmith’s sacks on the season thus far 🎥 pic.twitter.com/7cpONEyDIp
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 5, 2024
Smith immediately becomes Detroit’s best edge rusher. He’s not perfect in the run game, but he is capable. He’ll go from playing for a last-place team to arguably the NFL’s best. The Lions should be getting a motivated Smith, who returns to the NFC North to help the Lions fend off two of his former teams — the Packers and Vikings. If the Lions can maintain the NFC’s No. 1 seed, they’d need to win only two games — both in Detroit — to reach the Super Bowl. If they get there, Hutchinson could join them. The Lions aren’t ruling out a return for their star edge rusher, who still ranks third in pressures despite not playing the last three weeks. If he’s able to go, he’d be joined by Smith on the other end. Fairytale ending, anyone?
Even if the dream scenario doesn’t materialize, the Lions have the option of bringing Smith back to play with Hutchinson next season. He has a non-guaranteed contract the Lions could keep on the books for 2025 if they like the fit.
Ultimately, this was a low-risk, high-reward move for a Lions team that has all the goods to make a Super Bowl run. We’ll see if Smith can help get them there.
(Top photo: Ken Blaze / Imagn Images)
