In one of the most unsurprising moves of the trade deadline, the Cleveland Browns sent veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith and a seventh-round pick to the Detroit Lions for a fifth and a sixth.
The Lions were clearly in need of some help on the edge after superstar Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg, and one insider recently revealed a particular oddity from the Smith trade.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that Smith was supposed to have his bye week with the Browns this week, but now that he is with the Lions, who have already had their bye week, he has the opportunity to play in 18 games this season if he suits up on Sunday for Detroit on Sunday Night Football against the Houston Texans.
An oddity to the Za’Darius Smith situation: he was supposed to have his bye this weekend with the Browns, and the Lions already have had their bye weekend, so if he plays Sunday night vs. the Texans — and he is listed as questionable — it will be an 18-game season for him. Lions…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2024
It’s starting to look like the Lions are adhering to his planned bye week and might not have his debut against Houston, as head coach Dan Campbell has mentioned he has liked what he has seen in practice but that the team doesn’t want to rush him since this was a scheduled bye week for him.
Now in his tenth season, Campbell mentioned the importance of letting Smith rest in the aftermath of the chaos of the trade deadline, and Smith has reportedly used the time to check in on his home in Florida after the recent hurricanes.
Smith has big shoes to fill, but for the Browns, it was a wise move to send a veteran out of town and get a couple of draft picks back considering the team isn’t going anywhere.
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