Whether or not Za'Darius Smith make his Lions debut on Sunday remains uncertain, but what his role will be in Detroit is clear.
Smith, who was acquired at the trade deadline this past Tuesday, is being brought in to reinforce a Lions defense which lost Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending leg injury in Week 6. Hutchinson was the league's leading sack-getter and an early candidate for Defensive Player of the Year before going down, and an addition was seemingly necessary for a Lions (7-1) team with Super Bowl aspirations.
However, any perceived pressure of filling in for Hutchinson won't be felt by Smith.
"I'm not going to say pressure. I'm going to be Z. Come in here and be myself. Energy guy. Help the younger guys," Smith said Friday, via the team website. "(Josh) Paschal was a guy that went to Kentucky so to be around great guys and a great group, is big. I actually had a chance to go out and practice today and man the things we are doing in practice, I see why this football team is so dominant."
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Smith arrived at the team facility for the first time on Friday. Earlier in the week, Lions head coach Dan Campbell stressed the importance of giving Smith some time off considering the former Cleveland Browns pass rusher was supposed to be entering a bye week upon getting traded.
"He's got a lot of miles on the body, and he can still do it, but it's also, I think it's important for him to be able to get a little bit of a breather," Campbell said Friday. "That's one, two is that you just got traded. It's a whirlwind, man."
It's the reason why Smith's availability is in question for Detroit's Week 10 road matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday night. Smith, who was a full participant in his only practice this week and is listed as questionable, hopes to make his impact sooner rather than later.
"Man, I know the game well," Smith said. "Obviously, I've been in the game for 10 years now. I know football. It's just more getting the plays in and knowing the blitzes. They basically want me to be on cue with the blitzes. So, hopefully, man, you know, something can work out here in the next 24 hours."
The Lions are well aware what Smith brings to the table. The 32-year-old spent four years in the NFC North from 2019-2022 during stints with the Packers and Vikings, and opposing offenses have always been wary of the 10-year veteran's pass-rushing and run-stuffing abilities.
In nine games for the Browns this season, Smith has produced 5.0 sacks, six tackles for loss and seven QB hits. He'll eventually join a Lions squad that has seen their defensive stats take a hit in Hutchinson's absence, but that portends to change when Smith joins his new teammates in action.
"We've played against him, Minnesota, Green Bay. So, we know what that is but he's tough, he's violent and he's got a motor and then we're not even talking about potentially outside or inside, getting in the edge and pass rush, and just helping whether that's straight rush or running the games," Campbell said of Smith. "I just think he's going to be a perfect fit for us."
