The Detroit Lions took a big swing to fill their edge rusher depth at the trade deadline, but they’ll need to wait another week as Za’Darius Smith is unlikely to play in Sunday night’s game against the Houston Texans, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith was acquired from the Cleveland Browns before Tuesday’s trade deadline as the Lions sent a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder to Cleveland in exchange for Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Related: BREAKING: Lions trade for Browns edge rusher Za’Darius Smith
The Lions acquired Smith to be a boost to their pass rush in the wake of Aidan Hutchinson’s broken tibia and fibula last month but Smith took two days off before getting to Detroit as the Browns were on their bye week.
The Lions had four sacks in their Week 7 win at Minnesota in the first game after Hutchinson’s injury, but Detroit has just two sacks despite convincing wins over the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers.
Looking for their sixth straight win, the Lions could use Smith in a big intra-conference matchup against the Texans but are expected to get Josh Paschal back after he missed the last two games after having a benign mass removed from his shoulder.