Za'Darius Smith Should Be a Priority For Cleveland This Offseason

Cleveland brought in Za'Darius Smith via a trade with the Minnesota Vikings last season and his contract has now expired. He is a guy that Cleveland should look to bring back

The Browns have an extensive list of upcoming unrestricted free agents featuring 26 guys. Decisions will have to be made across the entire roster and one big one starts on the defensive line.

Defensive end Za'Darius Smith is at the end of his contract and should absolutely be a target for Cleveland to bring back in 2024.

Smith finished the season playing in 16 games for Cleveland, notching 27 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble. 

Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) celebrates after sacking Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum (18) during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports   / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The numbers here don't jump off the page but they do not tell the entire story for Smith. 

Smith was a Top-30 guy in pressures in 2024. His 29 quarterback pressures ranked him tied for 27th in the league and trailed his running mate Myles Garrett by 10 pressures. He had more pressures than guys like Chase Young, Leonard Floyd, Jadeveon Clowney and Alex Highsmith. 

There isn't a number to back this next stat up. Smith lived around the quarterback, but was a victim of Myles Garrett beating him there or quarterbacks getting rid of the football at a historically fast pace.

He graded out on Pro Football Focus with a Pass Rush grade of 86.8 which ranked him tied for 14th in the league with Bryce Huff of the New York Jets. Out of all of the edge defenders that ranked ahead of him, he is last on the list in sacks with 5.5. He even trails all of the interior defensive lineman who all have seven or more sacks with similar pressure rates.

The last reason why Cleveland should resign Smith also comes from Pro Football Focus. He received a total defensive grade of 83.1 ranking him the 18th-best defensive end out of 118. 

Smith will turn 33 next fall, but has proven that he has not slowed down quite yet. Cleveland should make it a top priority to bring Smith back on a short-term deal to continue building continuity on the defensive line.