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NFL trade deadline: Detroit Lions trade for Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland Browns after Aidan Hutchinson injury

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NFL trade deadline: Detroit Lions trade for Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland Browns after Aidan Hutchinson injury

The Detroit Lions acquired defensive end Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday as they look to bolster their Super Bowl hopes. 

Smith heads to Detroit along with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick, NFL Network reported.

The deal was agreed ahead of the NFL’s trade window closing at 4pm Eastern Time on Tuesday evening, after which teams are not permitted to make trades until the new league year begins on March 12.

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Smith has managed five sacks in nine games for the Browns this season having been traded to Cleveland by the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2023 season, during which he managed 5.5 sacks.

The 32-year-old offers valuable help off the edge as the 7-1 Lions continue their push to reach the Super Bowl in the absence of star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who will miss the rest of the year with a fractured tibia and fibula. Smith has 65 sacks over 10 seasons, across which he has spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Vikings and Browns, his career year coming with Green Bay in 2019 when he posted 13.5 sacks and 55 tackles.

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Speaking on the Inside The Huddle podcast, Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold argue that the Detroit Lions should be considered the best team in the NFL on current form

Detroit’s defense has 20 sacks so far this season while ranking 10th in pressure rate, per Pro Football Reference. They are meanwhile ranked 22nd in total yards allowed, 29th against the pass seventh against the run and sixth in scoring.

Behind a Jared Goff-led offense they have established themselves as Super Bowl frontrunners in the NFC having fallen short against the San Francisco 49ers in last season’s Conference Championship Game. Smith arrives to provide a much-needed veteran presence along the Lions’ defensive front as general manager Brad Holmes seeks to ensure his side capitalise on their dominance over the first half of the season.

Watch the New York Giants take on the Carolina Panthers live from Munich, Germany on Sky Sports NFL from 1.30pm this Sunday.

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