Detroit Lions Bolster Pass Rush with Key Trade for Za’Darius Smith

The Detroit Lions have addressed their need for a pass rusher after Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury in Week 6 by reportedly acquiring veteran Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns.

In exchange for Smith, the Lions will reportedly send a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Cleveland. The Browns will also send a 2026 seventh-round pick as part of the deal. Smith, one of the top pass-rushers available at the NFL trade deadline, is under contract through the 2025 season, which reflects the value Detroit had to give up to secure him.

Smith has recorded five sacks, 23 tackles, five tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits in nine games for Cleveland this season. Over his 10-year NFL career, Smith has accumulated 65 sacks in 181 games (88 starts) across stints with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Browns.

The Lions, despite their dominant 52–14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, struggled to pressure quarterback Mason Rudolph and recorded just one sack in the second quarter. In Week 9, Detroit’s 24–14 victory over the Packers saw the Lions generate only sporadic pressure on Jordan Love, with no sacks. These performances underscored the gap left by Hutchinson’s absence.

Hutchinson, who was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks before his injury, sustained a broken right tibia and fibula in the third quarter of Detroit’s 47–9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6. With him sidelined, Alim McNeill’s 2.5 sacks are the highest remaining total on the Lions’ defense, with no other Detroit player having more than two sacks.

Additionally, Detroit lost defensive end Marcus Davenport in Week 3 to a “serious and significant” elbow injury and linebacker Derrick Barnes to a knee injury in the same game against the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Dan Campbell didn’t confirm whether the injuries are season-ending, but expressed doubts about their return.