The Detroit Lions didn’t bring in Za’Darius Smith just to win regular games. They brought him in to help them win a Super Bowl.
That’s why, in an unusual decision, they greeted their new defensive end by sending him home first. Smith won’t report to the team until Friday, and coach Dan Campbell isn’t sure if he will play in Sunday night’s game against the Houston Texans.
“He’s been in the league for a while and (the Browns) were actually going on their bye this week,” Campbell said on Wednesday. “He got the call from us, everything got done, and now we’ll let him do what he needs to do, get refreshed, and come back here on Friday.”
It helps that Smith already knows what his role will be on the Lions’ defense — rushing the quarterback. That’s why the Lions gave up a fifth-round pick in 2025 and traded a 2026 sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick.
“It is hard, especially during the season, to get someone who can rush the passer,” Campbell said. “Teams don’t want to give those guys up, which is smart.”
The main reason the Lions went after Smith was because star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson broke his left leg in mid-October. Hutchinson is still tied for fifth in the league with 7 1/2 sacks and tied for second with 17 quarterback hits, even though he’s played four fewer games.
If that were the only injury, the Lions would have tried to replace Hutchinson’s production with the players they already had. But the problem is that their other starting defensive end, Marcus Davenport, is out for the season with an arm injury.
In addition, linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end John Cominsky are on injured reserve with knee injuries. Defensive end Josh Paschal, who fought cancer during his college years, has missed the last two games after having a benign growth removed.
“We got hit in one position — we really lost our starters and our depth,” Campbell said. “That’s why we wanted to try to add someone, but it is tough at that position. It isn’t like getting a receiver or a running back.”
Paschal is expected to be back for the game against the Texans, and Campbell believes there is a good chance Smith will play some snaps.
“We’ll see how many packages and how much of the playbook we can give to him, but we will certainly have a place to use him,” he said. “We’ll just see how it looks when he gets here on Friday.”
The Lions will also get wide receiver Jameson Williams back after his two-game suspension. “I’ve learned to be smarter and move smarter in certain situations,” he said. “It’s big to know how much faith Coach has in me.”
