Heavy on Browns Za'Darius Smith sent a one-word message he later deleted after the Browns traded him to the Detroit Lions.
The Cleveland Browns have traded Za’Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions in a move that had been widely expected with the team stumbling to a 2-7 record.
The Browns got back a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder in the trade, while also sending a seventh-round pick to the Lions for Smith. Detroit was in need of pass-rush help after star Aidan Hutchinson went down with an injury in October. Smith has collected five sacks this season, which nearly matches his total from a year ago.
Smith did not appear happy after the trade was executed, writing on X “SMH” — an acronoym for shaking my head — before later deleting it.
The Browns traded for Smith ahead of last season. In the deal, the Browns got Smith, a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for two fifth-round picks.
Smith had five sacks last season — a number he’s almost eclipsed already through eight games. He signed a two-year, $23.5 million deal to remain in Cleveland this offseason.
It’s never easy for a player to uproot their life after a trade but Smith lands with a contender in the Lions. Detroit sits atop the NFC with a 7-1 record and are considered a top Super Bowl contender.
Myles Garrett, Browns Hoped to Keep Smith Around
The Browns are heading into their bye week without much hope for the rest of the season. But many were still hoping that Smith would stick around despite the rampant trade rumors.
“Za’Darius is an amazing teammate,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward said. “He’s a leader on this team and a playmaker out there on the field. I love having Za’Darius on the field with me. That was one of my favorite additions to the team when he came on. He’s a great player and a great guy in the locker room. I definitely appreciate Za’Darius, the player he is and the guy he is.”
Smith’s pass-rush partner Ogbo Okoronkwo echoed that statement from Ward.
“Z’s a great teammate, great guy, great player,” Okoronkwo said, via cleveland.com. “He definitely became like a big brother to me, so if he leaves, it would be heartbreaking, but it’s a business at the end of the day. If that were to happen, I wish him the best. I know he wishes us the best moving forward. He’s a great player and he’s going to continue to be a great player.”
Browns star Myles Garrett tried to shut down the rumors prior to Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I’m going to continue to play with Z, so I’m not too worried about throwing out my pleasantries and compliments now,” Garrett said on November 1. “I’ll be able to tell him at the end of the year.”
He’ll still be able to do that but it’ll have to be via a phone call rather than in the locker room.
Browns Cut Ties With DT Quinton Jefferson
The Browns parted ways with another defensive lineman with the trade deadline looming, waiving defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson. He was signed this offseason but has been a healthy scratch for weeks. Jefferson notched a sack and six tackles during his short stint with the Browns.
The Browns will continue rollingwith Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, rookie Mike Hall Jr. and Maurice Hurst II at defensive tackle.
And Cleveland doesn’t appear to have any plans to trade Garrett, who is the centerpiece of the defense. He’s coming off his best game of the season, notching three sacks against the Chargers. It broke a three-week sack-less streak for Garrett and he has seven this season.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
