Za'Darius Smith explained his viral deleted tweet from earlier this week before he was traded to Detroit.
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 on Sunday Night Football. The Lions added reinforcements on defense this week by trading for edge rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Browns. Smith finally opened up about a viral deleted tweet from the same day as his trade.
Za'Darius Smith tweeted “SMH” on Tuesday morning, which was the final day of the NFL trade deadline. Fans quickly noticed the post and panicked because they thought that Smith would not be traded, despite many reports suggesting a deal would get done.
Smith had a short answer when asked about the incident on Friday.
“It was just taking too long,” Smith said, per The Athletic's Colton Pouncy. “But obviously after that, it got it done, and then I deleted it. Sorry to the fans who were thinking otherwise. But like I said, happy to be here and happy to be with this football team.”
Za'Darius Smith is the perfect addition to a Lions team that needs a boost with their pass rush. He brings a veteran presence to a young and talented defense, as well as a diverse set of pass-rushing moves.
Smith has 23 total tackles and five sacks so far this season. He immediately becomes their top edge rusher, with Aidan Hutchinson on injured reserve.
Will Za'Darius Smith play for the Lions in Week 10?
At the time of writing, it is currently unknown if Za'Darius Smith will play for the Lions on Sunday Night Football.
Smith would have had a bye week if he were still with the Browns. Therefore, Lions coach Dan Campbell decided to give the veteran a chance to rest after arriving in Detroit.
“I thought that was important,” Campbell said, per Birkett. “I mean, he’s been in this league a while, and they were actually just going on their bye week when he got the call from us, and everything got done, so let him do what he needs to do, refresh, get back here Friday.”
This is already a really good gesture of faith in Smith and simply doing right by a veteran player. Detroit could take things a step further and let Smith rest against the Texans. Houston is pretty banged up and does not look as fearsome as they did in 2023, so it could make sense to give Smith a break and let him get a full week of practice before making his Lions debut.
Lions fans should keep an eye on Friday's injury designations to get their next clue about Smith's status for Sunday.
Lions vs. Texans kicks off at 8:20 PM ET on Sunday.
