CLEVELAND — Za'Darius Smith is joining the NFC North again.
The Cleveland Browns have traded the veteran defensive end to the Detroit Lions. In addition, the Browns gave Detroit a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In exchange for Smith, the Browns receive a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The move comes ahead of today's 4 p.m. NFL trade deadline
Despite the Browns struggling, Smith has had a successful start to the season, tallying six tackles for loss and five sacks.
Smith will be sure to help the Lions as their defensive line has been depleted with injuries.
The 7-1 Lions, who are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, lost DE Aidan Hutchinson in Week 6 to a season-ending injury. They also have recently lost defensive end Marcus Davenport to a triceps injury as well.
Currently in his 10th NFL season, Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020.
Following another Pro Bowl nod with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, the Browns acquired him prior to last season in a trade that involved late-round pick swaps, and his 5 1/2 sacks ended up being second only to Myles Garrett as part of the NFL's top-ranked defense.
Smith was a free agent in the offseason, but chose to re-sign with Cleveland on a two-year, $23.5 million contract.
3News' Tyler Carey contributed to this report.
