Za’Darius Smith made his return to the AFC North last week. The Cleveland Browns acquired Smith and a pair of draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for two fifth-round picks.
Smith will have multiple pivotal tests in his first season with the Browns, including two against the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens offense. The first meeting between the Browns and the Ravens in the 2023 season will come in Week 4.
Smith was teammates with Jackson for a mere one year in Baltimore. Jackson made his NFL debut in the 2018 season, which was Smith’s final campaign with the AFC North side. The eighth-year pass rusher has since not faced the Jackson-led Ravens offense in regular season play, although they sure had plenty of duels in practice over the course of the 2018 campaign.
Smith was asked during a press conference on Day 2 of the Browns’ OTAs schedule on just what is the “secret” to containing Jackson, and the three-time Pro Bowler kept it simple with his response.
“Everybody’s got to be in their gap,” Smith said on Wednesday. “Everybody’s got to know their assignment, because if he gets loose, we all know what could happen.
“So just when that time gets here, we’ll be able to prepare the right way and hopefully contain him.”
In the big picture, Smith is looking forward to squaring off with the Ravens twice in the upcoming season.
“It’s going to be fun,” Smith said. “I know a small situation happened last year where I was supposed to go back, but it didn’t work out. But now that I get a chance to face them, it’s going to be fun. I actually work out with a couple of guys in Orlando, ‘Gus The Bus.’ I’ve been telling him I’m going to catch him. I’m going to have to pop him one or two times.
“It’s all fun and games, because we’re still friends. Just can’t wait. See John Harbaugh. See Lamar. It’s going to be fun this year.”
The Browns’ OTAs schedule will continue on June 1. They will kick off their much-anticipated mandatory minicamp schedule on June 6.
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