It’s down to the wire when it comes to the NFL’s trade deadline, which is Tuesday, November 5, and the Detroit Lions are in a pinch to bring in some defensive help after losing edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to an injury.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions have added veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns to help bolster their defense.
But, now a tweet from Smith has fans panicking that the deal has fallen through.
UPDATE Tuesday morning: The NFL has now confirmed that this deal has gone through.
Za’Darius Smith Says ‘SMH’
Early Tuesday morning, Smith took to X to post the message “SMH” or “shaking my head.” He deleted the post less than 30 minutes later.
Smith seemed stoked to come to Detroit, so the tweet has some fans worried that somehow, someway the deal has fallen through. Time will tell, but signs point to Smith coming to Detroit or at least the Lions wanting him in the fold.
Earlier this week, NFL insider and expert Mike Florio said he believed a deal with Smith is imminent.
According to a report from Florio, the Lions have been close to signing blockbuster Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith to help fill the large gap left by Hutchinson.
“Yes, the Lions and Browns have discussed a potential trade for defensive end Za’Darius Smith,” Florio wrote in a November 3 piece. “At this point, the expectation is that it’ll be more than talk. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current expectation is that Smith will be traded to Detroit tonight or tomorrow.”
Lions and Browns Could Be ‘Arguing’ About Compensation
Florio isn’t alone in his belief that Smith, 32, will be sporting Honolulu blue soon. Speaking on the “Pat McAfee Show” Monday, November 4, NFL insider Adam Schefter also talked about the negotiations to bring Smith to Detroit. He sounded certain of a deal.
“We’ll use Za’Darius Smith. Do I think the Lions and Browns have had significant talks? Yeah. Do I think they have agreed on compensation? No. I think they’re still arguing about that,” Schefter said. “Could there be another team that steps in? Yes. Do I think, ultimately, the Browns and Lions will figure out a way to get it done? I do.”
He added, “But things change, you never know. But I think there have been enough conversations. You can go on with almost every player. Teams are checking in on all these guys. ‘Hey, any interest in this? No? Yes?’ There are always teams checking in, just to kind of get a feel because they don’t want to miss a way to try to upgrade their roster, whether they’re acquiring a player or draft pick compensation. We could look at the teams right now with two wins and say would any of those teams be in the market to move on and trade some players to get draft pick compensation? You know the winning teams want to upgrade.”
He concluded that it’s “where we’re at, with teams continuing to check in with one another.”
Seeing that the trade deadline is 4 p.m. Eastern, we’ll know more soon.
