Za’Darius Smith made a name for himself in Green Bay as one of the best edge defenders in the NFL over the last few years. The former Baltimore Raven moved to the Packers in 2019 and immediately hit the ground running, earning Pro Bowl nods in consecutive years while racking up 26 sacks in his first 32 games. But all good things must come to an end. Smith is in search of a new home after the Packers released him on Monday afternoon, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
As good as Smith had been for the Packers, he was always destined to be a cap casualty as the Packers looked to move within the confines of the salary cap. He was set to count for $27.8 million against the cap in 2022, and after the Packers signed Preston Smith to a new deal earlier in the day, the writing was on the wall.
But, the Packers’ loss is the rest of the NFL’s gain. Smith is still just 29 years old and still has a lot left in the tank. He only played in two games for the Packers in 2021 – their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers and the Week 1 loss to the Saints – but he’s expected to be healthy heading into the new season and hit the market at the perfect time.
There’ll be a litany of teams in search of his services, but which five teams could use Smith the most?
5. Cleveland Browns
Pair any half-decent pass rusher with Myles Garrett and you’ll immediately have one of the best pass-rushing duos in the NFL. Pair a star talent like Smith with Garrett and you probably have the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL – bar none.
The expectation around the NFL is that Jadeveon Clowney will test the free-agent market and likely have suitors elsewhere. Essentially, that means preparing for life without him. That’s a big hit for the Browns as their overall depth on the defensive line is lacking. Despite Garrett being a legitimate superhuman, they can’t rely on him to do it all by himself. So he needs help in the form of Smith.
Mixing the versatility of the two defenders would be a huge advantage for the Browns. Both have shown the ability to play inside and outside the tackles, and that can create matchup issues for opposing offensive lines. It gives the Browns the opportunity to run stunts with one lined up inside and the other outside. And the obvious option is having both players line up on either side of the offensive line.
Whatever the plan would be, it allows Joe Woods the option to get real weird with his fronts. And if the Browns can add some more depth to their interior defensive line, they could top their play at the position from last season.
4. Denver Broncos
Follow the trail. The Denver Broncos just became legitimate Super Bowl contenders after trading for Russell Wilson. The biggest hole on their roster, for the best part of a decade, has finally been filled. Now, the Broncos have to solidify their defense.
Under Vic Fangio, the Broncos defense allowed the third-fewest points per game in 2021 and finished 15th in EPA. With Fangio departing, it’s fair to assume that the defense will show some sort of regression. An easy way to combat that is by signing the best talent available – and that means Smith. The Broncos shipped off Shelby Harris in the Wilson trade and they’re lacking talent on the defensive front.
Bradley Chubb is a talented defensive end but has struggled to stay healthy during his four-year career. If he can stay healthy, the pass rush looks a lot better, but signing someone like Smith gives the defense an immediate boost. Smith has had his own injury issues, but it only really reared its head last season. Other than that, he’s been dependable and durable.
The Broncos need sack and pressure production off the edge, which Smith provides. Signing with the Broncos also gives Smith a legitimate chance at competing for a Super Bowl again.
3. Indianapolis Colts
The running theme here is that every team on the list desperately needs help on the edge. The Colts tallied just 33 sacks in 2021, tied with the Jets for the 7th-lowest sack total in the NFL, and had a pass rush win rate of just 36 percent, 24th in the league. The best edge defender on the Colts roster at the moment is Kwity Paye, who just finished his rookie season.
Paye is raw, and could likely develop into a real talent, but it’s clear that the Colts need an immediate solution at the position. Justin Houston provided a veteran presence off the edge in 2019 and 2020, but his absence was a big loss for the Colts. Paye led the way with 39 total pressures, and others like Al-Quadin Muhammad chipped in, but the Colts need real production in the way of Smith.
Even with the Colts’ murky quarterback situation, there’s a decent roster that could contend with the right guy under center. The defense has been one of the more consistent units in the NFL for the last few years, but the sack production is a glaring weakness off the edge. The defensive interior consists of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, but the Colts need more if they want to make the playoffs after a disappointing end to 2021.
2. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills defense reigned supreme in the NFL in 2021, until there were 13 seconds left against the Kansas City Chiefs. The defense led the NFL in yards allowed, points allowed, defensive EPA, and DVOA. Simply put, they were an immovable object until the Divisional Round.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t room to grow. You can never rest on your laurels in the NFL, and if the Bills defense needs to strengthen its edge rush this offseason. Veterans Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison are no longer with the team, both are free agents and it’s unclear whether or not they’ll be back with the team next season. That just leaves Gregory Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, and Boogie Basham as the three edge defenders on the team.
All three are young, with Rosseau coming off a decent rookie campaign where he recorded 36 pressures across 19 games. There’s room to grow for Rosseau as he’s still very raw, so learning from an elite and experienced pass rusher like Smith could go far in his development. Plus, the Bills could really just use a player like him off the edge.
As a unit, the three Bills’ defensive ends contributed 75 total pressures, including 14 quarterback hits and 8 sacks. It’s not high-end production by any means, and if the Bills were to start the season with those three players as their primary edge defenders, then you would expect a dropoff in the defense’s overall production.
Mix in a guy like Smith and his ability to play inside will give defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier the option to run Ed Oliver off the edge – something he toyed with a few times to allow the former first-round pick more opportunities to attack the quarterback.
- Baltimore Ravens
There’s nothing quite like a homecoming. Smith started his career with the Ravens after he was drafted by the team in the 4th round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He was used primarily as a rotational defender with the Ravens and started in just 16 of his 58 games with the team. The potential was always there, but he didn’t break out until the final year of his rookie contract.
By then, the Ravens were priced out of a deal for Smith and he signed with the Packers in 2019. Three years, 166 pressures, and 26 sacks later and there’s every chance that Smith could head back to where it all started. And it wouldn’t be a moment too soon.
The Ravens’ defense is heading into a new era and, conveniently enough, they need help on the edge. Former Ravens’ defensive coordinator, Don Martindale’s, defense was known for aggressively blitzing and simulated pressures, but not for defenders who could necessarily win consistently off the edge. The new defensive coordinator Mike McDonald plans to keep some facets of that defense – and when healthy, the Ravens were always one of the better units in the league – but the immense value of the edge rusher is too difficult to pass up in the modern NFL.
The front office invested significant capital into the position in 2021, spending a first-round pick on Odafe Oweh and he rewarded them with a strong rookie campaign, but the Ravens are now admittedly thin at the position. Veterans Justin Houston and Pernell McPhee are both free agents and unlikely to return to the team, and the same can be said for interior lineman Calais Campbell, the beating hearts of the Ravens defensive line the last few years.
Bringing back Smith makes all the sense in the world right now for a Ravens team that is looking to bounce back from an injury-ridden 2021. The defense needs a new beating heart, so why not make it Smith?
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @ThomasValenfine