The Cleveland Browns have been getting calls ahead of the trade deadline, with the most recent coming about defensive end Za’Darius Smith.
Smith came to Cleveland via a trade with the Minnesota Vikings in May 2023 and is currently on a $23 million deal that keeps him under contract through the 2025 campaign. However, the Detroit Lions are interested in dealing for the edge rusher ahead of the NFL’s November 5 deadline, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
“Lions coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have been hunting for an edge rusher since losing Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending injury. Hutchinson hasn’t played since Oct. 13 but is still third in the NFL in sacks,” Russini posted to X on Saturday, November 2. “The team has checked in with numerous teams around the league, including Cleveland with hopes of landing Za’Darius Smith.”
Za’Darius Smith Has Been Good for Browns, Doesn’t Fit Into Long-Term Future
Smith has been a solid piece for the Browns since coming over ahead of last season.
He tallied 5.5 sacks in 2023 and has produced 5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss across eight contests this year. However, as good as Smith has been in Cleveland, he isn’t likely a fit for the franchise’s long-term plans.
Smith is 32 years old and has played a decade in the league. The Browns are nearly $40 million in the red regarding next year’s salary cap and will only face more issues due to an expensive roster headlined by currently injured quarterback Deshaun Watson who carries cap hits of $73 million in each of the next two seasons.
Cleveland’s best chance to move on from Watson is to find a quality QB early in the 2025 draft who can play at a high level on an affordable rookie contract, as Watson’s entire salary is guaranteed through 2026.
The Browns must find ways to get less expensive in the coming seasons and dealing sizable contracts, such as the one Smith is playing on, for draft capital is the most efficient way to do so.
Circumstances would likely be different if Cleveland was having similar success to the kind it found last season, when the Browns made the playoffs as the AFC’s top wildcard team. However, at 2-6 with backup QB Jameis Winston now at the helm, the franchise’s chances of making the postseason two years in a row have grown exceedingly thin.
Browns Haven’t Shown Interest in Dealing Top Players Like Myles Garrett
Several teams have approached the Browns about the availability of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who starts opposite Smith on the defensive line.
But Garrett is the type of player around whom franchises can build their defenses. He is just 28 years old and still in his prime, and Cleveland has him under contract through 2026.
Even if the Browns can get moderately less expensive ahead of the trade deadline and during next offseason, Garrett is the type of player the team must keep as it has gone all in on trying to win now.
