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Za'Darius Smith traded to Detroit Lions in first deadline domino to fall for Browns

Smith goes from a tanking team to a Super Bowl contender. What a come up.

By Candace Pedraza

Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns / Nick Cammett/GettyImages
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In the most obvious trade move for the Cleveland Browns ahead of the deadline in Nov. 5, the team has shipped Za'Darius Smith off to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2025 fifth round pick and a 2026 sixth rounder, per Ian Rapoport. Smith had been a target of the Lions for weeks since Aidan Hutchinson went down for the season with a leg injury, and they immediately get a great replacement on the edge on their defensive line.

Cleveland is sending a 2026 seventh rounder in the deal.

For the Browns, they land more draft compensation after getting a great deal for Amari Cooper earlier in the season - a third rounder for the receiver they had only needed a fifth rounder for from the Dallas Cowboys back in 2022. Cleveland desperately needs this type of compensation as the season feels like a wash and they sit at 2-7 with a long bye week ahead.

Read more: NFL Mock Draft: Browns within striking distance for elite QB after Week 9 loss

Smith has been a force with Myles Garrett on the Browns' D-line this season, tallying five sacks on the season along with being one of the anchors to a third-ranked pass rush defense in the NFL. The Lions, despite losing Hutchinson so early in the season, are the best team in the NFC with Super Bowl aspirations in mind. They're 13th in the league in pass rush win rate, which measures how often pass rushers are able to win their matchups against opposing offensive linemen.

With Smith in the mix, the Lions are even more formidable defensively. This just adds an unfair advantage to Detroit as they continue to wreak havoc across the league and put up 30 or more points consistently. It's impossible to overcome that sort of deficit for most teams, and with Smith now on their D-line, it'll be nearly impossible for all teams to do so.

Cleveland may not be done making moves

While Smith was the obvious domino to fall for the Browns, the team is likely not done with transactions as they stock up on draft picks to balance out the horrendous cap hit they'll be taking from Deshaun Watson next season. Players like David Njoku, Greg Newsome, and Elijah Moore are reportedly in the mix to be sent off to other teams in exchange for draft compensation.

Cleveland's next five games after the bye week include two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, one against the Denver Broncos, and one against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. That leads them right into the end of the season with three games left. So, it's fair to speculate a tank is in the works with these moves rumored to be on GM Andrew Berry's and the Browns' minds.

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