3. Za’Darius Smith, Edge Rusher
When Aidan Hutchinson went down with a broken tibia and fibula last October, the Lions’ pass rush was immediately in trouble. Former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did his best to keep the defense afloat, helping Detroit rank fourth in pressure rate at 26.2% but they ranked just 23rd with 37 sacks.
The biggest thing the Lions did to fix that problem was to acquire Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. Smith did an admirable job with 40 quarterback pressures and has still remained productive even as he’s entered his 30s.
Smith has posted an overall grade over 70 in five of the past seasons with the outlier being his 2021 campaign when he was limited to a regular season game and a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers due to a combination of a contract dispute and a back injury. But his 71.7 overall grade last season was his lowest since his final year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.
Another issue is Smith’s contract. Smith’s $5.7 million cap number for next year is manageable but he also has three void years attached to his contract with a total cap hit of $5.2 million. At age 34, Smith may also not fit into the Lions timeline, which could have Detroit searching for a younger, more impactful option on the open market.
The first thing that comes to mind is the trade market. Garrett has been a highly rumored target as he has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns but Hendrickson makes more sense considering the Cincinnati Bengals have actually granted him permission to seek a trade.
With Maxx Crosby coming off the market last week, it may be a more realistic option to hit the free agent market. Paying Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat or Chase Young won’t be cheap but it could be a better strategy because it won’t cost them draft capital in addition to an annual cost that flirts with $20 million.
The Lions could also just keep Smith and pair him with Hutchinson. But the contract combined with Smith’s age (he’ll turn 33 in September), makes it likely he’ll be gone with Detroit looking for his replacement.