The Detroit Lions are considered one of the most solid teams in the NFL going into the 2025-26 season, but as with any team, they have some weaknesses. From the start of the offseason, one of the biggest issues for the Lions has been their edge rusher position. The depth of this position became clear last season, when Aidan Hutchinson was out with a season-ending injury.
It’s really a miracle that the Lions still played as well as they did without Hutchinson. Fresh off of a Pro-Bowl sophomore NFL season, Hutchinson led the Lions with 7.5 sacks even after not playing in 12 full games.
One of reasons, of course, they the Lions still thrived, at least in the regular season, is because they brought Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns by trade deadline. Smith was a great fit with the Lions. He appeared in eight regular-season games for Detroit and finished the season with nine total sacks, four of them with the Detroit Lions.
Smith is still a free agent, and he’s really the most logical fit for the Lions right now. So, why haven’t the Lions moved on him yet?
Lions Need to Sign Edge Rusher Now
Smith is one of the top players still available in the edge rusher position, but when the season starts and players start getting injured, chances are he’ll land a gig quickly. The Lions can’t go too deep in this position, so there’s really no reason not to sign him. He wants to come back to the Motor City, and that should make him a bit cheaper than some other candidates.
“We both know where I want to be,” Smith told Tyler Dragon of USA Today Sports in June when asked about his situation with the Lions and where he wanted to play. “Hopefully I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great. When I’m there, I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things. Hopefully, I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit.”
Lions Are Dragging Their Feet
But, the Lions may not see this position as being a need right now. In a piece published on July 30 by Mike Payton of A to Z Sports, Payton makes the case that the Lions may not see signing Smith as a priority anymore.
“The first thing is that Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t at all look like a player who has lost a step after recovering from his leg injury,” Payton says. “He actually looks like a guy who has gained a step, if anything. Hutchinson being this good makes players around him better.”
He adds, “Players like DJ Reader, who is looking so much better than he did last year, and he wasn’t really even that bad. Tyleik Williams is also taking advantage of this” situation.
During an interview on 97.1 The Ticket on Wednesday, Aug. 6, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes gave some hope for getting back with Smith.
“We said we’re going to keep in contact with his agent, but everything is not just one-sided. Za’Darius has expectations, the team has expectations, so sometimes it takes a while for those things to get on the same page — especially [with] a guy that’s been in the league as long as he has,” Holmes said on the show. “I’m not saying that he doesn’t want to be in training camp. But if he misses some time, there’s obviously still interest there, and we’ve been keeping in touch.”
No matter how good the team’s current edge rushers are looking, having this position as a possible weakness could really hurt the Lions. Jumping on Smith while he’s available is a solid idea.
