Speaking to the SNF crew after the Lions' epic comeback over the Texans, Smith revealed head coach Dan Campbell was not only insistent that he take the week off because he hadn't had a bye yet, but gave him two days to go to Florida to check on his house that had been hit by a hurricane.

In an impressive Week 10 win over the Houston Texans, the Detroit Lions continued their playoff push with a team-first mentality. Despite a tough game from QB Jared Goff, who threw five interceptions,

The NFL Trade Deadline is Tuesday, November 5. After playing collegiately at East Mississippi Community College as well as Kentucky, Smith declared for the NFL Draft and was eventually selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Za'Darius Smith first heard about the Lions' interest in him shortly after Aidan Hutchinson's injury. Finally in Detroit, he's eager to see the field.

The Lions are doing what they can to fill that Aidan Hutchinson-sized hole in their defense for their Super Bowl push.

“The Lions and Browns have discussed a potential trade for defensive end Za’Darius Smith. At this point, the expectation is that it’ll be more than talk. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current expectation is that Smith will be traded to Detroit tonight or tomorrow.” – Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk

Checking in with Detroit Lions fans for our latest SB Nation Reacts survey: What are your expectations for Za’Darius Smith’s Lions debut?

The Detroit Lions opted to sit veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith last week, even though he was ready to play. Head coach Dan Campbell explained the thought process behind that and revealed that Smith will make his debut in Week 11.

The Detroit Lions are bolstering their pass rush by acquiring one of the top targets available at the trade deadline. Detroit completed a trade with the Cleveland Browns to get Za’Darius Smith and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026.