Lions urged to trade for $23 million edge rusher at the deadline
The clock is ticking on the Detroit Lions‘ ability to make a trade to bring in an edge rusher ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. The Lions’ interest in an EDGE is no secret after the team lost Aidan Hutchinson until at least the Super Bowl due to injury.
General manager Brad Holmes has reportedly been on the phones trying to find a solution to help fill the void since Hutchinson went down, but Detroit has yet to come away with anyone, although a trade feels inevitable.
As the trade deadline nears, Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department wants to see the Lions trade for Cleveland Browns edge rusher, Za’Darius Smith, who has been linked to Detroit via rumors.
The trade deadline is steadily approaching, and the Lions have yet to make a move to replace Aidan Hutchinson. Meanwhile, Smith was listed on B/R’s NFL Trade Block Big Board column earlier this week and named as a good fit for the club.
“Pass-rushers are in demand, and Smith has already tallied five sacks through eight games,” B/R’s Kristopher Knox wrote. “‘Several teams’ have inquired about Smith, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
“The Detroit Lions remain the most sensible suitor for a pass-rusher because of Aidan Hutchinson’s leg injury. The Lions have become the team to beat in the NFC, but they could use a difference-maker along their defensive front.
The Lions are one of the teams pursuing Smith ahead of the deadline and, in fact, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Sunday that a deal is expected to get done by Monday. However, no trade has happened as of Monday afternoon.
It goes without saying how big of an addition Smith would be to the Lions’ defense.
A proven commodity, the 32-year-old has recorded north of 10 sacks three times during his career, and he was a Pro Bowler each time. He had a lackluster year in 2023 for his standards with 5.5 sacks, but he has nearly surpassed that mark already in 2024, with five in nine games.
MORE: NFL power rankings Week 10
When asked about the prospect of possibly being traded to the Lions, Smith was on board with it, mostly because of his desire to play against his former teams, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.
“Hate that injury happened to him, a guy that was on his way to get Defensive Player of the Year possibly,” Smith said of Hutchinson, according to Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. “That’s a big loss for them. But if I was to go to Detroit, I would like it, because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year. So, yeah, that’ll be big.”
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns are looking for a “really good Day 3 pick” in exchange for Smith, and that’s a price point the Lions can meet, as Detroit has both a fourth- and fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.
That’s a small price to pay for an impact edge rusher who will no doubt help the Lions achieve their goal of winning a Super Bowl this season.
Making such a deal even more attractive is the fact that Smith’s two-year, $23 million contract extends through 2025, so the Lions can pair him with the aforementioned Hutchinson next year, assuming all goes well in 2024.
MORE DETROIT LIONS NEWS
Packers OL makes foolish statement about Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s catch streak defies astronomical odds
Did Matt LaFleur hurl F-bomb at Lions’ sideline?