FILE – Washington Chiefs offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas (78) tries to intercept Minnesota Vikings linebacker Za’Darius Smith (55) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 6 of 2022, in Landover, Maryland, in Cleveland. The Browns have agreed to acquire three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith in a trade from the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Friday night, May 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, Dossier)
CLEVELAND – The Browns’ defensive line has gone from disappointing to perhaps dominant.
Cleveland, which has spent the offseason improving a unit that underperformed in 2022, agreed Friday night to acquire three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the matter said the deal to the Associated Press.
The Browns will send fifth-round picks in 2024 and 2025 to the Vikings for Smith, a sixth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick in 2026, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams did not they had announced the exchange.
In Cleveland, Smith will be paired up front with All-Pro tight end Myles Garrett, one of the best rushers in the NFL.
Shortly after news of the trade broke, the Browns posted a photo of a smiling Garrett with no caption.
Smith, 30, had 10 sacks last season, his first with Minnesota, and has 54 1/2 since joining Baltimore in 2015. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Vikings before last season, with $11.5 million guaranteed.
After going 7-10 last season, the Browns made revamping their defense a priority. They have done so with the signings of free agent Dalvin Tomlinson, end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and safety Juan Thornhill.
Smith should give the Browns two players capable of disrupting the pocket and another weapon for new coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Smith enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in 2022 with the Vikings after a back injury in 2021 limited him to one game with Green Bay.
Smith had 8 1/2 of his sacks through the first seven games, however, and his pressure rate dropped significantly over the second half of the schedule. The only game he missed was the meaningless regular season finale, but a nagging knee injury limited his impact.
With a salary cap hit of more than $15 million, Smith became an obvious candidate to be released or traded to the cap-limited Vikings. Smith even posted a message on Twitter in March that had a strong goodbye vibe and thanked the entire organization “Amazing season and experience.”
Two months later, the exit finally came, saving the Vikings more than $12 million in cap space.
The Vikings ran a 3-4 scheme for their base defense, with Smith and Danielle Hunter at the outside linebacker spots, but Schwartz’s 4-3 scheme will make Smith more of a traditional defensive back. He also went 3-4 in three seasons with the Packers.
Marcus Davenport, who signed as a free agent after leaving New Orleans, will be first in line to fill Smith’s role alongside Hunter.
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