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The Detroit Lions have made a case to be considered the top contenders in the NFC, and they bolstered their pass rush ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline by acquiring star defensive end Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The deal will help the Lions make up for the loss of star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who underwent surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula last month and was placed on injured reserve. Detroit's depth chart now looks like this:
LDE: James Houston, Pat O'Connor, Isaiah Thomas, Aidan Hutchinson (IR)
RDE: Za'Darius Smith, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky (IR), Marcus Davenport (IR)
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Lions also acquired a 2026 seventh-round pick in the deal while sending a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Browns.