The Detroit Lions are playing like one of the best teams in the NFL right now. Detroit is 7-1 heading into a crucial Week 10 matchup against Houston. The Lions sit atop the NFC North after getting a huge win against the Packers on Sunday. Now Detroit is finally adding reinforcements to their defensive line at the NFL trade deadline.
The Lions have agreed to a trade with the Browns for defensive end Za'Darius Smith, per NFL Network's Ian Rapaport. Cleveland will send Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to Detroit for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Detroit will also take on the remaining $605,000 in Za'Darius Smith's contract for the season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Cleveland already paid the other $11.3 million of Smith's 2024 compensation.
Smith and the Lions were linked for multiple weeks, but it took until the final day of the NFL trade deadline to get the deal done.
Detroit has suffered several injuries on their defensive line this season, most notably to superstar Aidan Hutchinson. Adding a player like Smith will bolster Detroit's depth while they make another deep playoff push this winter.
Smith has played well for the Browns in 2024, which is easy to do when you are on the same defensive line as Myles Garrett. He has logged 23 total tackles and five sacks in eight games this season.
Smith does not have that far to move going from Cleveland to Detroit. However, it remains an open question if Detroit will rush him into the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Houston.
How will adding Za'Darius Smith impact the Lions on defense?
Detroit knows Za'Darius Smith very well. Smith has played for both the Packers and Vikings, so the Lions have seen a lot of him throughout his career.
Smith fills a gaping hole on the team's defensive depth chart. The Lions only have a handful of healthy players at defensive end, relying on James Houston, Pat O'Connor, Isaiah Thomas, and a host of practice squad players over the past few games. Several Lions defenders are already on IR, including Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Brodric Martin, Kyle Peko, and John Cominsky.
Josh Pascal and interior defender Mekhi Wingo are both questionable on the injury report and could return to action soon.
Smith is expected to immediately step into the starting lineup once the Lions give him the green light to play.
It will be interesting to see if the Lions decide to add another edge rusher before 4PM on Tuesday. The Lions have multiple holes on the defensive line, so it is possible that another trade could be coming.
Next up for the Lions is a Week 10 matchup against the Texans on Sunday Night Football.
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