Za'Darius Smith trade winners, losers: Lions land Aidan Hutchinson replacement
The 2024 NFL trade deadline will pass at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but the Detroit Lions didn't waste any time in swinging a deal to bolster their roster.
The Lions acquired veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns, according to multiple reports. Detroit will send a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Smith, 32, is an experienced NFL pass rusher with 65 career sacks over 10 seasons. The Lions will be Smith's fifth NFL team, but he has been productive at each of his previous four stops, generating no less than 10 sacks for each team he has represented.
Who are the winners and losers of what could be the biggest move of the NFL's trade deadline day? Here's what to know about Smith joining the Lions.
NFL TRADE DEADLINE LIVE UPDATES:Latest rumors, news, analysis ahead of Tuesday cutoff
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Za'Darius smith trade winners
Detroit Lions
Let's start with the obvious. This trade is a major win for the Lions, who were in need of pass rushing help after Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome, season-ending leg injury in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson generated a team-leading 7.5 sacks in five games before his injury. No other player on the roster has more than 2.5 (defensive tackle Alim McNeill) through nine weeks of action, so Smith – who has five sacks this season – should provide Detroit with a proven, pass rushing threat. That will bolster the Lions' chances of winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history this season.
Other AFC North teams
The AFC North race is often a grueling battle of attrition. Those divisional matchups are never easy to win, as evidenced by the Baltimore Ravens' Week 8 loss to the Browns, so teams like the Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have to be happy that Cleveland is offloading some of its best players ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Cleveland still has two games remaining against the Steelers and one each against the Bengals and Ravens. Those teams will be glad not to see Smith lining up across from Myles Garrett, as that should give each squad a better chance of knocking off the currently 2-7 Browns.
NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 10:How has trade deadline altered league's elite?
Isaiah McGuire and Ogbo Okoronkwo
Smith played 58.1% of Cleveland's defensive snaps through the first half of the 2024 NFL season. Those snaps will now have to be taken on by other players on Cleveland's roster. McGuire and Okoronkwo will likely be given a bulk of those opportunities with Alex Wright (triceps) out for the season.
This opportunity is particularly important for McGuire, a 2023 fourth-round pick who has played just 266 defensive snaps during his career. If the Missouri product can prove to be an effective pass rusher in a larger role, he could instill confidence as either a 2025 starter or a key rotational piece on the edge.
As for Okoronkwo, the 29-year-old has been a solid rotational edge player during his career already. That said, he has just eight career starts in 73 games but could convince the Browns to let him play more moving forward if he adequately replaces Smith. If he can do that, Cleveland may be more likely to hold onto the veteran ahead of the final year of his three-year, $19 million contract that ends following the 2025 NFL season.
Za'Darius Smith trade losers
The rest of the NFC North
The NFC North may be the best division in the NFL. The Lions proved themselves to be the class of that division with their 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 9. Now, they are getting stronger with the addition of Smith.
The Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears can all still make runs at playoff berths, but Smith shoring up Detroit's biggest remaining weakness establishes the Lions as the clear-cut favorite to win the division. Chicago's path to the postseason may be particularly difficult with a 4-4 record and two games remaining against the stalwart Lions.
Myles Garrett
Garrett is on pace for another excellent season, as he has seven sacks through nine games. He is fresh off a three-sack outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, but his outlook for the remainder of the season is less rosy after the Smith trade.
Having a proven pass-rusher like Smith across from him was making it easier than usual for Garrett to get pressure, as teams couldn't focus solely on him when protecting their quarterbacks. Now, opposing offenses will be able to focus almost all of their energy on Garrett up front since they won't be as afraid of McGuire or Okoronkwo beating them as they were of Smith.
NFL TRADE DEADLINE GRADES:Breaking down which team won each notable deal
New York Giants
This may seem like a weird one, but the Giants are rumored to be exploring an Azeez Ojulari trade before the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Ojulari, 24, is much younger than Smith and has six sacks on the season despite playing behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. That should make Ojulari an intriguing trade target.
However, Ojulari's expiring contract will be an obstacle in New York getting a notable return for him. Smith going for a relatively low price of a fifth-round pick and a 2026 pick swap may also drive down Ojulari's value, so the Giants can't be happy with the terms of this deal.
But given the pass-rush-needy teams across the NFL, it still wouldn't be a surprise to see the Giants find a willing partner for Ojulari before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
