Detroit Lions trade for Za'Darius Smith in major move at NFL trade deadline to replace injured Aidan Hutchinson

The 7-1 Detroit Lions have addressed their dearth of defensive ends with a major deadline move.

The Cleveland Browns are sending Za'Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Lions for fifth-round selection in 2025 and a sixth rounder in 2026, DailyMail.com has confirmed. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first to report the deal.

The 32-year-old Smith has five sacks in eight games this season and would go a long way towards replacing injured Pro-Bowl selection Aidan Hutchinson , who broke both his tibia and fibula in Week 6.

Other injured defensive lineman include Brodric Martin (knee), Joshua Paschal (illness) and Mekhi Wingo (ankle), all of whom were sidelined for Sunday's win over the rival Green Bay Packers .

Depending on who returns for Wednesday's practice, the Lions could have a dramatically different depth chart entering Sunday night's game against the Houston Texans .

Considered by many to be a Super Bowl contender after reaching the NFC Championship last season, the Lions' biggest obstacle this season has been injuries along the defensive line.

'I feel like we can beat anybody in the league,' coach Dan Campbell said Monday after the Lions improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1956.

The deal was agreed to well before Tuesday's 4pm deadline.

The move had been rumored for several weeks as Cleveland fell to 2-7 in the AFC Central.

Initially, the Browns signed the veteran pass rusher to a two-year, $23 million deal to counter-balance All-Pro Myles Garrett, but even with Cleveland ranking sixth in the NFL in sacks, the dominant pass rush wasn't enough to improve the team's fortunes.

Smith has said he would welcome a trade because it would allow him to play against the Packers and Minnesota Vikings - two of his former teams.

He has 65 sacks over the last decade after being picked in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens out of Kentucky in the 2015 NFL Draft.