The Detroit Lions are still picking up the pieces from a crushing playoff defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round. Now, Dan Campbell and company are retooling the roster to make another run at a championship next season.
On Sunday, the Lions made a critical decision on a key pass rusher. Veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith has been released by the team, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Smith was acquired in a trade by the Lions in the middle of the 2024 season. Last year, which he split between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit, Smith notched 35 tackles, nine tackles for loss and nine sacks. He isn’t likely to be very expensive on the open market, so he could be a very solid pickup for a contender in need of some depth at the position.
Smith has spent time at many different stops during his time in the NFL. He started his career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent four seasons before going to the Green Bay Packers in 2019.
Smith was very effective during his time in Green Bay, reaching the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons there and making Second-Team All Pro in 2020. During those two seasons, Smith notched 26 sacks and 29 tackles for loss for one of the best teams in the NFL.
The Kentucky product hasn’t been able to find the same success during his time with the Browns, but he was still a solid contributor for the Lions in eight games.
The Lions will have Aidan Hutchinson back next season after missing most of 2024 with a gruesome leg injury. The Lions dealt with a whole laundry list of injuries that completely decimated their defense down the back half of the season, so they will be hoping to have most of those primary pieces back next season.
The Lions have some adjustments to make on defense after the departure of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Without Smith, Detroit now has a lot of work to do on that side of the ball.
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