Lions taking great care of Za’Darius Smith, prioritizing long-term health

ALLEN PARK - Dan Campbell is beloved in the locker room for many reasons. His fiery speeches. His aggressive approach to the game. His ability to make players better. But above all, his obvious desire to take care of his guys.

Might seem cliche, but that last one wasn't always the case here. Just consider the case of Snacks Harrison, who was acquired in a deadline deal by the previous regime in 2018. He showed up with swollen knees, was forced onto the practice field on Day 1, suited up against Seattle a few days later and wound up playing 17 games in a 16-game schedule because of how the byes worked. At the time, he was the first lineman in NFL history to play 17 games, and just the eighth player overall.

But Dan Campbell isn't Matt Patricia, in case you hadn't noticed, and has handled the case of Za'Darius Smith much differently since trading for the 32-year-old pass rusher this week. Smith was scheduled to have his bye with the Cleveland Browns this week, and while the Lions could certainly use him on Sunday in Houston, Campbell has elected to take things slowly, giving Smith a couple days off before reporting on Friday.

"Detroit truly has changed," Harrison said in a retweet of the news this week. "Them folks threw me out there ASAP with swollen knees from the plane ride."

Smith, on the other hand, got a couple personal days to heal up and head home to Florida, where his house and truck were damaged by a recent hurricane. He finally arrived in Allen Park on Friday, three days after the trade was finalized. He bought the No. 99 jersey off Brodric Martin - "Put some gas in his car," Smith said with a laugh - and laced up his cleats in time for practice.

The 10-year veteran doesn't think he'll need much time to be ready for Sunday's game against the Texans, but the Lions are in no hurry to rush the issue, preferring to think long term regardless of the immediate need for more pass rush.

"I think each case is kind of unique, right, and his is unique in the fact, No. 1, he's a veteran player," Campbell said. "He's got a lot of miles on the body, and he can still do it, but also I think it's important for him to be able to get a little bit of a breather. That's No. 1.

"No. 2 is that (he) just got traded. It's a whirlwind. All of a sudden, 'I was healed, we were getting ready for the team photo, was going into the bye, now all of a sudden I drive up here to Detroit and oh by the way, there was a hurricane that hit down south where my house is.' There's just these things, and I think it creates some stress that you can alleviate. That's more important than we have to force the issue right now, and I would rather him be of sound body and mind for the rest of this long haul than I would try to force the issue right now."

Whenever Smith gets the green light, he will provide a major lift to a pass rush that has been gutted by injuries. Starting edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are both lost for the long term, along with key backup John Cominsky and top pass-rushing linebacker Derrick Barnes. Throw in front-seven injuries to Kyle Peko, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Malcolm Rodriguez, and the Lions are thinned out up front.

They've been able to navigate the glut of injuries, winning six straight games - including all three without Hutchinson - to rise to the top of the NFC. But the pass rush has struggled in recent weeks, where the edge rotation has managed just one sack without Hutchinson, and none of those guys managed to hit Jordan Love over the weekend in Green Bay.

The Lions prized Smith, who has five sacks this season and plays the run well too, to mitigate the injury issues on the edge, and reached out to Cleveland shortly after the Hutchinson injury. Browns general manager Andrew Berry informed Smith of the trade talks, but the negotiation moved slowly before a deal was sturck with just hours left until Tuesday's deadline.

That morning, Smith caused a stir in Detroit when he tweeted: "SMH."

"It was just taking too long," Smith said. "But obviously they got it done, and I deleted it man. Sorry to the fans who were thinking otherwise. But happy to be here, man. Happy to be with this football team."

The deal might not help much in Houston, but it's expected to provide a big lift for the Super Bowl run in January and beyond. Smith is a three-time Pro Bowler who is on pace for his fourth double-digit sack season, he's sturdy against the run too, and will provide veteran leadership for a young rotation that has grown even younger in recent weeks.

Needless to say, Smith is grateful to be traded from the 2-7 Browns to the top of the NFC.

"Thank (Cleveland) for having me for two years," he said, "and trading me here to get a chance to go do something great."

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