With limited resources in terms of draft capital this year, the Cleveland Browns utilized trades to acquire some additional talent. They added wide receiver Elijah Moore early on, and in recent weeks, partnered up star pass rusher Myles Garrett with Za’Darius Smith, who is very familiar with the AFC North.
A fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens back in 2015, the three-time Pro Bowler is back in the division, now in Cleveland, for the first time since 2018, spending the past four years in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. And he and Garrett have big plans for what they can accomplish.
“He sent me a text message telling me that he can’t wait to get going and hopefully we can be the best duo in the league”, Smith told reporters recently. “I was telling him, the d-line, we’ve got to come up with a name for the room. He was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna make some shirts, we’re gonna make it big’, so that chemistry, already I can tell, is gonna be great this year”.
Generally, nicknames are earned following accomplishments and anointed by those on the outside, rather than given by oneself at the outside, but both Garrett and Smith are experienced high-level performers at their respective positions, so perhaps we can let the premature moniker slide.
After all, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Young Money Crew” gave themselves that honorific early on, as well, though arguably they would go on to earn it. Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Emmanuel Sanders would all earn Pro Bowl recognition, though Sanders’ nod only came after he left the Steelers to step into a larger role in Denver.
But back to Cleveland, the Browns have struggled for years to find a worthy pairing for Garrett, their former first-overall pick. On the field, has proven to be everything that they thought he would be and at 27 is not only among the best in the game, but at the height of his abilities, with four Pro Bowls and four All-Pro selections already under his belt.
Garrett has posted 16 sacks in each of the past two seasons, along with a combined 35 tackles for loss. He finished fifth in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year Award this past season.
Smith, who will turn 31 in September, has continued to play at a high level, earning his third Pro Bowl in 2022 with 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and five passes defensed. He missed nearly all of the 2021 season after undergoing back surgery for an ongoing injury that occurred prior to training camp. He did manage to return to play when the Vikings reached the postseason, logging 52 snaps in a loss against the New York Giants. He was a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
So what kind of nickname will the two come up with for themselves, and will it represent their on-field product? Smith, the Browns hope, will prove a more stable and reliable running mate for Garrett than Jadeveon Clowney.
