Steve Palazzolo on Za'Darius Smith: "I Love this Move for the Browns"

On the PFF NFL Show, hosts Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson were both effusive with praise over the acquisition of Za'Darius Smith by the Cleveland Browns.

The trade with the Minnesota Vikings that netted the Cleveland Browns Za'Darius Smith has largely been met with praise. In fact, the caused a few outlets to revisit their opinions on the Browns ahead of this season. Perhaps no one was more positive about this move and the Browns offseason in general than Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson of the PFF NFL Show.

Monday, reacting to the trade, Palazzolo started by saying, "I love this move for the Browns."

Monson immediately interjected, "It's great for Cleveland and that's despite them actually hitting their defensive line quite hard this offseason. They added (Ogbonnia) Okoronkwo as an edge. They added Dalvin Tomlinson. They came back in the draft with Isaiah McGuire. They've actually hit that general area pretty hard and still went, 'You know what? Za'Darius Smith apparently is available for almost nothing except the contract. Let's get it done.'"

Based on PFF's WAR metric, Smith has been one of the most valuable edge rushers in the league, averaging 70 pressures per season over that timespan all for the price of basically a seventh round pick. 

They also noted that Smith is the best player Myles Garrett has had across from him in his career. A list that includes Jadeveon Clowney most recently and Olivier Vernon. 

His value is enhanced because he's got plenty of experience rushing the passer from the interior in an effort to create mismatches. In other words, the Browns can have Garrett and Okoronkwo on the edges with Smith lined up across from a guard.

This also led to a discussion about the value that teams can generate by keeping space open on their salary cap that enabled them to add a player like Smith, something Andrew Berry has made part of strategy during his tenure as general manager. Palazzolo specifically made a case for adding plenty of day three picks specifically to be able to take advantage of these types of opportunities.

That's something the Browns did last year, swapping day three picks for wide receiver Amari Cooper, then a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Like with the Vikings and Smith, this was an effort by the Cowboys to free up cap space to use elsewhere. Cooper produced 78 receptions for 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with the Browns.

It's also why Berry makes such a point to include pick swaps in trades rather than just giving up picks. Moving down a round or few is a better option than just giving up selections.

When the Browns traded for Elijah Moore of the New York Jets, the Browns gave up their second-round pick, 42nd overall in exchange for Moore and a third-round pick, 74th overall. The Browns used that pick to add Cedric Tillman, a wide receiver out of Tennessee.

The Browns got two wide receivers for the cost of the 42nd overall pick. Time will tell is that was a good investment. They gave themself the option to perhaps trade that pick and continue finding ways to add draft assets for other trades or simply adding more players.

Time will tell how Za'Darius Smith does in Cleveland, but it's not difficult to understand why Steve Palazzolo called this move "a potential home run for the Browns."