Lions star Za'Darius Smith sets the record straight on pre-NFL trade deadline cryptic tweet
It took until the trade deadline day, but the Detroit Lions addressed a major area of concern by trading for Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith. The NFC leaders traded a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick for the veteran pass rusher and a 2026 seventh-round selection.
While Lions fans were ecstatic about his arrival, speculation prompted that the feeling wasn't mutual. He caused a stir with a post on X that read, "SMH," an acronym for 'Shake My Head,' a common internet slang denoting disappointment. He deleted the post, but not before fans got screenshots.
Fans wondered whether he was hinting that he was unhappy about having to move to Detroit or if he wanted to stay in Cleveland. Smith was asked about the post in his first interview as a Lion on Friday.
"It was just taking too long," Smith said. "But obviously, after that, they got it done, so I deleted it. Sorry for the fans that were thinking otherwise. Like I said, happy to be here and happy to be with this football team."
Lions fans will breathe a sigh of relief as the defensive end has been brought in to fill in for one of their most important players.
Za'Darius Smith to Lions: Why did the Lions trade for the veteran pass rusher?
The Lions had been linked with a move for a pass rusher since Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending leg injury in their 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
He had recorded 7.5 sacks in four and a half games before the gruesome injury. Hutchinson is, by some distance, the Lions' most important player on defense, and adding a pass rusher became the team's top priority after his injury.
They waited until trade deadline day to pull the trigger on a move to replace the Pro Bowler before bringing in Smith. But did their delay jeopardize his participation in their upcoming game?
Will Za'Darius Smith play in Week 10 vs. the Texans?
Za'Darius Smith's debut for the Lions, which the team ideally would have wanted to be in their Sunday Night Football clash against the Houston Texans, could be delayed to Week 11. He did not practice with the team on Wednesday and Thursday but was a full participant on Friday.
His status for the game has been listed as questionable on Detroit's injury report. As long as there aren't any injury concerns, the Lions will likely field him in at least high-leverage situations, if not on every down.
Regardless, it's unlikely that they will leave him on the sidelines on Sunday night.