The Cleveland Browns are currently playing the Los Angeles Chargers, but at 2-6 heading into the game, they were expected to be sellers ahead of Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline. Cleveland is currently trailing the Chargers, and a loss would cement them as sellers, and EDGE Za’Darius Smith is reportedly going to be on the move. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Smith is expected to be traded to the Detroit Lions either tonight or tomorrow.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current expectation is that Smith will be traded to Detroit tonight or tomorrow,” Florio wrote.
Smith entered the game today with five sacks, and he has half a sack against the Chargers. Ever since Detroit lost EDGE Aidan Hutchinson for the season due to a leg injury, the team has looked for pass rush help, and Smith is an ideal target. He has experience in the NFC North from his time with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, and he’s been consistently good rushing the passer, totaling 65 sacks in his career. While he only had 5.5 sacks for Cleveland last season, he’s totaled 10 or more sacks in three separate seasons, and he’s already matched the 5.5 sack total so far this season.
Cleveland already traded WR Amari Cooper earlier this season, sending him to the Buffalo Bills, and it sounds as if their sell-off will continue with Smith getting moved. QB Deshaun Watson is out for the season, and at 2-6 and possibly 2-7 after today, it’s going to take a lot for Cleveland to climb back into contention, so getting some value for Smith makes sense at this point. He has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond this season, so Detroit won’t have much of a financial commitment, and Smith plays in a 4-3 scheme in Cleveland so he should fit right into Detroit’s 4-3 system.
Detroit plays the Green Bay Packers at 4:25 today, so if a trade does happen today, it will likely be later tonight following the conclusion of that game, but it may wait until tomorrow. Either way, it sounds as if Smith will be on the move and will finish out the season chasing an NFC North crown with the Lions, who are one of the best teams in the NFL at 6-1.
