Speaking to the SNF crew after the Lions' epic comeback over the Texans, Smith revealed head coach Dan Campbell was not only insistent that he take the week off because he hadn't had a bye yet, but gave him two days to go to Florida to check on his house that had been hit by a hurricane.

The long-standing rumors proved correct in this case. The Cleveland Browns have traded EDGE Za’Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions hours ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. Cleveland sends Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 7th-round pick to the Lions in exchange for a 5th-round pick in 2025 and a 6th-round pick in 2026.

With their season in shambles, the Browns began looking toward the future and traded defensive end Za'Darius Smith to Detroit for a pair of draft picks.

“The Lions and Browns have discussed a potential trade for defensive end Za’Darius Smith. At this point, the expectation is that it’ll be more than talk. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current expectation is that Smith will be traded to Detroit tonight or tomorrow.” – Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk

Checking in with Detroit Lions fans for our latest SB Nation Reacts survey: What are your expectations for Za’Darius Smith’s Lions debut?

The Detroit Lions opted to sit veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith last week, even though he was ready to play. Head coach Dan Campbell explained the thought process behind that and revealed that Smith will make his debut in Week 11.

The Detroit Lions are bolstering their pass rush by acquiring one of the top targets available at the trade deadline. Detroit completed a trade with the Cleveland Browns to get Za’Darius Smith and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026.