The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns got Tuesday's NFL trade deadline action started as the two sides executed a trade that'll send pass rusher Za'Darius Smith to the Motor City. This was a much-speculated move that has now come to fruition and helps the Lions further their efforts to make a Super Bowl run.
So, how did each team fare in this deadline deal? Let's grade the trade.
The trade
- Lions get: Za'Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick
- Browns get: 2025 fifth-round pick
(via CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones)
The grades
Lions: A-
This was a much-needed move for the Lions in the wake of losing star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the season due to a leg injury. While Smith shouldn't be looked at as a one-to-one replacement for Hutchinson, he helps cushion the blow of his absence and should help apply pressure to the quarterback down the stretch. At the time of his injury, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks, but through nine weeks, no other Lions defender has more than 2.5 sacks. Smith comes aboard with five sacks on the season already and 65 for his career. It's also worth pointing out that he has plenty of playoff experience (eight career playoff games played), which will come in handy as the Lions look to make a Super Bowl run. This is a team with legitimate championship aspirations and is identifying a key need at a relatively low cost.
Browns: C+
It's not an earth-shattering return for Smith, but that wasn't the expectation as his name was floated out in rumors. Smith is 32 years old and in his 10th season in the league, so a Day 3 draft pick makes sense for compensation. Moving on from Smith, in general, is a wise decision for a Browns team that fell to 2-7 on the season with a loss to the Chargers on Sunday and appears to be on the doorstep of a rebuild this offseason. While Smith was signed through 2025, he no longer made sense to keep for the foreseeable future and better served as a piece to acquire a future asset.
