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The Detroit Lions' pass rush had been sputtering since the loss of Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending leg injury in Week 6.
Since Hutchinson went down, the Lions' defensive line has not recorded a sack. In fact, the defense as a whole has recorded just two sacks in the three games without the Defensive Player of the Year contender.
As a result, the Lions are hoping newly acquired defensive end Za'Darius Smith will provide a boost of energy and production for a talented yet underperforming defensive line group.
Smith has recored five sacks in nine games with the Cleveland Browns, who fell to 2-7 on the year with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The 32-year-old's statline through nine games will rank among the best on the Lions' roster, though Detroit has played one fewer game than Cleveland due to the Week 5 bye. Smith's five sacks ranks first among active Lions, while his 27 pressures is tied-for-first with Alim McNeill.
He slots in as a starter as soon as he's ready to play in the Lions' system. He seems likely to line up opposite of Josh Paschal upon his return from illness, or James Houston and Al-Quadin Muhammad if Paschal is not recovered in Week 10.
Smith's ability to rush off the edge pairs nicely with Paschal's ability to set the edge in the run game. Below is an example of the tenacity that Smith rushes with, as he overpowers the Dallas Cowboys' right tackle for a sack in Week 1.
In terms of alignment, Smith has lined up outside of the opposing tackle on a majority of his snaps this season. According to Pro Football Focus, he has played 282 of his 319 snaps in this alignment, with 28 snaps lined up over the tackle and nine snaps lined up in the B gap.
As for PFF's ratings, Smith has a 73.6 overall defensive grade, a 65.9 run defense grade, a 39.3 pass rush grade and a 71.1 pass rush grade. Smith's overall defensive grade would rank sixth on the Lions, as the Lions currently have three defenders with a 90.0 grade or higher in Hutchinson and safeties Kerby Joseph (90.7) and Brian Branch (90.0).
Smith also fits from a leadership perspective. With Detroit's emphasis on culture, it was clear that the Lions would have to view him as a cultural fit in order to make this deal.
With rumors swirling of a potential trade on Sunday, several of Smith's Cleveland teammates weighed in on what the veteran has meant to the team.
"I mean, Z's my brother, man," Browns safety Juan Thornhill told reporters after the game. "He means a lot. Everybody's going to feel it if he's leaving here. It's going to hurt. He means a lot. He gets back there. He brings a lot of energy. He's one of the leaders of our defense, but I wish nothing but the best for him. It is going to be tough. It's going to be tough losing a guy like that."
Detroit's new addition will get opportunities to play against two of his former teams, as he has formerly suited up for the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. The Lions play the Packers on Thursday Night Football on Dec. 5 in Week 14, along with a season-finale showdown against the Vikings on a to-be-decided date.
The ability to play against former teams was a factor in Smith initially saying he would welcome a trade to the Lions, as he played three seasons for the Packers and one for the Vikings. He was traded from the Vikings to the Browns ahead of the 2023 season in exchange for a pair of fifth-round picks.
Smith is clearly an upgrade to the Lions' pass rush and has an opportunity to be a difference-maker in what the team hopes to be a championship season.
More must-reads:
- Buccaneers' chances of upsetting Rams take massive hit due to illness in locker room
- Could Aaron Donald come out of retirement amid Rams' latest pursuit of Super Bowl?
- The 'NFL single-game completions leaders' quiz
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Packers Receive Disappointing Injury News Before Vikings Matchup
Jayden Reed’s anticipated return to the practice field for the Green Bay Packers will have to wait a little longer. Despite some growing hope earlier this week that the dynamic wide receiver could begin the next phase of his recovery, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Wednesday that Reed will not open his 21-day practice window yet. “He’s not practicing today,” LaFleur said ahead of Sunday’s critical matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. When pressed for a clearer timeline on the second-year standout, who remains on injured reserve with collarbone and foot injuries, LaFleur deferred to the medical staff. “I don’t know. As soon as medical clears him, he’ll be out there,” LaFleur said. “I know he’s excited to get back. As am I.” The optimism had spiked in recent days. On Monday, LaFleur indicated there was a chance Reed and/or rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd could start their practice windows this week. Reed himself fueled the excitement Tuesday by sharing a photo of himself dressed in full uniform on social media. Those plans, however, are now on hold. Reed’s surgically repaired foot seems to have healed satisfactorily, but the collarbone—fractured on a diving attempt during the first half of Green Bay’s Week 2 victory over the Washington Commanders—still needs additional time. For a wide receiver whose job involves regular physical contact and the risk of landing hard on the shoulder, the medical staff is requiring clear imaging evidence that the bone is strong enough before green-lighting a return. The cautious approach echoes the Packers’ handling of Aaron Rodgers’ similar collarbone injury in 2017, when the former quarterback sat out seven games while waiting for full healing. Nearly 10 weeks removed from the injury and having already missed eight contests, Reed could still require another one to two weeks before doctors are comfortable clearing him for football activities. That timeline keeps a potential return for the Thanksgiving night clash with the Detroit Lions or the following week against the Chicago Bears realistically in play. Before the injury, Reed had established himself as Green Bay’s top receiving weapon. He paced the team in receiving yards in both 2023 and 2024, and in the two games he played this season while managing the foot issue, he recorded three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. The Green Bay Packers will continue their Week 12 preparations without their leading wideout on the practice field, with LaFleur and the organization prioritizing full recovery over a rushed comeback.
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian gives bold claim on job rumors
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has been a popular name in both the NFL and college football coaching cycles. It makes sense, too. He's brought Texas back to being competitive and in the championship hunt, but he also has a wealth of great experience as an assistant in both college and the NFL. He's about as well-rounded a candidate as you'll find, so of course, programs like the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers or even the New York Giants may be interested to see if he's interested. The thing is, though, he's not. Or, at the very least, that's what he's telling the media. He's all-in with the Longhorns, according to comments he made on a recent SEC teleconference call. “I’d like to comment something before I get into our team that has been bothering me now over the past few weeks. That is people reporting that are insinuating that there’s a possibility I could leave the University of Texas, and that is absolutely false and untrue," Sarkisian said (h/t On3). "I’m not going anywhere. Never do I do this because I never want to be a distraction, so I never address these things. At this point, I feel like this is important that I do this because it’s important for our team. It’s important for our university." Steve Sarkisian has deep roots in Austin and is all-in with Texas As if that weren't clear enough, Sarkisian said that he has not had any discussions with anybody about coaching elsewhere. He even went as far as to say that even his agent hasn't spoken to anyone. Sometimes coaches can say publicly that they aren't talking about any opportunities while, in the meantime, their agents are working backchannels and putting something together. He could be lying, of course, because college football history is full of head coaches saying one thing and doing another. A full-throated statement like this seems to be a pretty clear indication that Sarkisian is serious about what he's saying, though. Heck, he went as far as calling Austin home, which is a pretty big deal for a coach to say. Those guys aren't used to staying in one place for too long. With that said, Sarkisian does have two kids actually enrolled at Texas, one on the football team. He has a third kid he wants to go to Texas in the near future. He also just had a baby. Sarkisian has roots in Austin. He also has high aspirations for the Longhorns. “We came here to win championships," he said. "We’ve built a damn good football program over the five years that we’ve been here. We’ve been to two College Football Playoffs. We won a Big 12 Championship. We went to the SEC Championship game in Year 1. We’ve had 23 players drafted the last two years, which is more than any other school in the country and our team GPA is at an all-time high. “Can we please stop putting things out there that you have absolutely zero evidence on? Can we please stop retweeting and putting it back out there as if it’s true? As if it’s the gospel? It is not true."
Cowboys Announce Trevon Diggs News After Four Missed Games
Trevon Diggs watched on as Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys ended a two-game skid, defeating Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 in Week 11's edition of "Monday Night Football." Now, the Cowboys improve to 4-5-1 on the 2025 NFL season with a Week 12 NFC East matchup on the horizon against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ten games into the regular season, the Cowboys have fielded one of the NFL’s worst defenses, allowing 378.7 total yards per game, 30th in the league, and a league-worst 258.7 passing yards. With the unit struggling, Jerry Jones decided it was time for upgrades, acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson at the trade deadline. The team also welcomed back linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who had been recovering from a knee injury. With the reinforcements arriving for the Raiders matchup, the defense delivered its best performance of the season, allowing just 236 total yards, including only 27 on the ground. Despite the impressive outing, Dallas was still without one of its top defenders, as Diggs remained sidelined. Ahead of the Cowboys’ Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders, Diggs was ruled out after suffering a concussion in an accident at home. The following week, he was placed on injured reserve while also dealing with a separate knee injury. He has missed Dallas’ last four games, during which the team went 2-2. Diggs won't be able to make his return until the Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, meaning he will be out against the Eagles. But on Wednesday, Schottenheimer had a positive update to share on his Pro Bowl cornerback. "Brian Schottenheimer says that Solomon Thomas is 'making progress' and with Trevon Diggs, 'all signs are that he's doing everything he's supposed to do,'" Cowboys reporter Tommy Yarrish wrote on X. "#Cowboys are doing walkthroughs today, so they'll know more on the injury front tomorrow." The Cowboys will take on the Eagles on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at AT T Stadium.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto grabs dinner with top Dodgers free agent target
With MLB free agency slowly but surely coming into shape, Los Angeles Dodgers fans have been scouring the rumor mill for the latest intel on who the next great superstar Andrew Frieman will land. Will it be Kyle Tucker, the current bell of the MLB ball? Or maybe Cody Bellinger, who might just be tired of watching his former teammates win World Series games without him? Well, if Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s recent social media activities are of any indication, it would appear Dodgers fans should keep a close eye on “Murakami-sama,” himself, Munetaka Murakami, as he looks to take his game from the NPB to MLB. Posing for a picture with the 25-year-old slugger while dining with Kenshiro Saito, Yamamoto had to know the interaction should make the rounds on social media and smiled for the camera all the same, setting off a firestorm among baseball fans that makes posting season all the more interesting. Standing 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, Murakami is a certified slugger the likes of which the NPB has seldom seen, leaving the league with 265 home runs on his resume. His 56 homers in 2022 broke a near-60-year record held by Sadaharu Oh, and even in 2025, a down year by his usual standards, he still hit 24 in just 69 total games. Though some question what position Murakami will play in MLB, be that his native third base, at first, or as a power-hitting DH, the Dodgers could easily platoon the 25-year-old with Max Muncy in 2026 and take over the spot in 2027, holding it down until Freddie Freeman rides off into the sunset a little further down the line. Now granted, just because Murakami and Yamamoto had dinner together doesn’t mean the former is a guaranteed lock to join the latter in Dodgers blue next spring. Another team could make a better offer, or Murakami could simply decide he wants to be a big fish in a small pond, instead of just another Japanese player on the Dodgers. And yet, for a player who came up watching Shohei Ohtani dominate in Japan and then America, why wouldn’t Murakami strongly consider teaming up with the “Unicorn,” Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki to really make a proper go of things at a three-peat?
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