The Cleveland Browns recently made a trade to further bulk up their defense. They made a deal with the Minnesota Vikings where they gave up 2024 and 2025 fifth-round picks, and in return, they received Za’Darius Smith, a 2025 fifth-round pick, and a 2025 sixth-round pick. Along with the trade, Smith’s contract was restructured. Previously he was set to have a roster bonus of $5 million and a base salary of $9.76 million for a grand total of $14.76 million. Now, he will make $11.75 million fully guaranteed with the Browns and will be eligible to hit free agency after the 2023 season concludes.
The Cleveland Browns recently made a trade to further bulk up their defense. They made a deal with the Minnesota Vikings where they gave up 2024 and 2025 fifth-round picks, and in return, they received Za’Darius Smith, a 2025 fifth-round pick, and a 2025 sixth-round pick. Along with the trade, Smith’s contract was restructured. Previously he was set to have a roster bonus of $5 million and a base salary of $9.76 million for a grand total of $14.76 million. Now, he will make $11.75 million fully guaranteed with the Browns and will be eligible to hit free agency after the 2023 season concludes.
Smith began his career in 2015 with the Baltimore Ravens after he was selected in the fourth round with the 122nd overall pick. He never got much of a chance with the Ravens and never saw a season in which he was a full-time starter throughout his four seasons with the team.
In 2019, he would move on to the Green Bay Packers and would see immediate success with the team. In his first season as a Packer, he was given the starting job and made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2019 and 2020. He would miss all but one game in the 2021 season after recovering from back surgery.
2021 would be Smith’s final season with the Packers and he would move on to their division rival the Minnesota Vikings. Last year with the Vikings, he would once again make it back to the Pro Bowl. In 2022, he would record five passes defended, one forced fumble, ten sacks, 44 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 24 QB hits.
He is a very versatile player who has spent time playing defensive end, right outside linebacker and left outside linebacker. This is perfect for a team like the Browns who have a lot of holes in their defense. He has seen most of his success in the league as a linebacker, however, he will most likely start the season on the opposite end of Myles Garrett at the end position.
With Garrett being one of the most frequently double-teamed players in the entire NFL, there is a chance that this could end up being a career year for Smith even with him being 31 years old. If he is able to make it through the season healthy, Smith will be a huge contributor to Cleveland’s pass rush, and with him and Garrett running down the quarterback, Cleveland’s pass rush could be one of the best in the league in 2023.
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