3 teams that could steal the pass rusher from Lion’s clutches

It’s time to strike while the iron is hot. It’s been happening to wide receivers in recent weeks. Now it appears that pass rushers will also be passed on before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Josh Uche has already landed with a new team in Kansas City. And there could be several more on the way. Especially as several teams are looking for reinforcements to double their play-off battle.

One of those players is Za’Darius Smith. The Cleveland Browns getting their first title in almost two months probably won’t change much in how they approach the end of the season or how much they sell.

They have proven to double and triple down on Deshaun Watson as the NFL’s costliest mistake in league history. So when he inevitably returns next season, he will still be the starter and will continue to run the offense until he is no longer on the Browns payroll.

So Cleveland will use its remaining veteran assets and convert them into favorable draft picks. Smith most likely won’t be the only Browns player on a new team by the end of the trade deadline. But he will certainly be the most popular.

And while the Detroit Lions would like to be the only team interested in acquiring Smith, they will have some competition. Here’s who the Lions will compete with to get Smith before Tuesday’s deadline.

3)Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have already addressed their wide receiver problem, adding Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers earlier this week. But their pass rush has been a glaring problem this season. And after losing a game, they had nothing to lose to Cleveland on Sunday, make sure they make whatever move necessary to avoid unnecessary slips.

This would be an interesting move just from the standpoint of movement between division rivals. With Cleveland seeing Baltimore again at the end of the season, that could be a fun dynamic. But from a logistics point of view it makes sense.

The Ravens witnessed firsthand how destructive Smith can be. And now Michael Hall Jr. shows his potential for the Browns, they might not think too much about helping a division rival.

Defensively, the Ravens have given up the most passing yards and rank 30th in opponents’ passing touchdowns scored against them. They need help in the secondary and pass rush. Expect them to address both needs before Tuesday. And expect them to see if they can get Smith to fill any of those needs.

2) Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have somehow managed to go from what looked to be another frustrating season to leading the NFC West division and winners of three of their last four games.

Three weeks ago, they looked like they would be sellers at deadline and scrape together enough picks to avoid a strenuous rebuild. Now they look like a team that still needs to pick up a few pieces to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

One area they could improve in is their pass rush. They have only had 15 sacks as a defensive unit this season. That’s good for ninth in the NFL.

Smith currently has five sacks on the year. He would now be the team leader if the Cardinals made the move. Currently, the Cardinals’ two sack leaders have three each. There are other options they can go after. They don’t necessarily need a veteran to fill that void. They might choose to take the younger route or even neglect it altogether.

But now that there is some optimism in Phoenix, they could be taking steps to put them in an even better position.

1)Dallas Cowboys

It seems a bit redundant to add the Dallas Cowboys to any player trade watchlist. It’s an endless cycle. Glaring issues cost loss on Sunday, team says they need to get better, another team trades for a player they need; repeat.

At some point, Dallas will have to accept that the current players aren’t doing enough and that adding even one player could change things for the better. This is one of the times when Jerry Jones should consider adding Smith to the defensive unit.

That is by far the least healthy side of the ball, as Micah Parson and DeMarcus Lawrence have missed more games than they have already played this season. With several options – fairly cheap at that – available, it’s beyond me why the Cowboys refuse to do anything positive.

They have an opportunity to get a player who can fix the bleeding caused by their lack of pass rush, and that could be a great option with both Lawrence and Parsons on the field. This seems like far too obvious a step not to take.

But as we’ve discovered, all-in is just a euphemism for content in Arlington.