One of the best remaining NFL free agents is Za'Darius Smith.
The veteran pass rusher proved in a 2024 season split between Cleveland and Detroit that he can still get to the quarterback.
But right now, Smith is unsigned. There's less than a month until the regular season gets underway. It feels like that has to change.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox believes it's on the verge of shifting. He predicts Smith will re-sign with the Lions before Week 1.
"The prediction here is that, in time, Smith does make his way back to Detroit," Knox writes. "The Lions re-signed Marcus Davenport in free agency and are expected to have a fully healthy Aidan Hutchinson this season. However, a team with Super Bowl aspirations can never have too many pass-rushers, and the Lions don't have much dependable depth behind Hutchinson."
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Smith isn't the player he once was, but he's still effective at getting to the quarterback.
He began the 2024 season with nine games in Cleveland, and he had 5.0 sacks.
Smith followed that up with eight games with the Lions that included 4.0 more sacks.
In his career, Smith has 69 sacks and 333 total tackles across 10 seasons. He has played for the Ravens, Packers and Vikings in addition to the Browns and Lions.
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All offseason long, pundits have wondered whether the Lions would add pass-rushing help opposite Hutchinson.
Smith is still available to be that guy, and he seemed to enjoy his time in Detroit.
It might be time to finally get this deal done before someone swoops in to take Smith from the Lions' arms.
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