Lions Might Want to Give Za’Darius Smith a Call — Hutch Needs Help
The Detroit Lions hit a rough patch last season when their star pass rusher went down with a broken leg. But they patched things up midseason by grabbing Za’Darius Smith at the trade deadline — and he actually made some noise.
Now that Hutchinson is healthy and ready to unleash chaos again, one analyst thinks it’s time to bring Smith back into the fold. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox says the Lions could use a proven edge rusher like Smith to take some heat off Hutch and add some much-needed bite to the pass rush.
Let’s be real — the Lions had just 37 sacks all of last season. That’s not exactly terrifying. Hutch was doing most of the heavy lifting, and Smith came in second… with only four sacks. Yikes. So yeah, reinforcements are kinda needed.
Even though the Lions cut Smith earlier this offseason to save money, Knox says it’d be smart to bring him back — or at least go after someone like Trey Hendrickson if they want to make a splash.
And he’s not the only one thinking it.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen also pointed out that Detroit barely touched the edge position in the draft. They only picked one pass rusher (Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein), which leaves a big hole opposite Hutchinson. Bowen thinks re-signing Smith would be a smart move — especially since Smith actually played well when he joined the team.
In just eight games, Smith picked up 4 sacks and 20 pressures. Not bad for a midseason pickup. He’s the kind of versatile guy who can rush from the edge or slide inside and win one-on-one matchups. That could be huge for Detroit’s new defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard, who’s looking for creative ways to disrupt offenses.
Bottom line: Hutch can’t do it alone. The Lions have tried other options — remember James Houston? He flashed big-time as a rookie but couldn’t stay on the field and got cut last year. So now the team’s got to figure out how to get Hutch some real help off the edge.
And bringing back Za’Darius Smith might just be the easiest answer.
Hey Lions, That Old Edge Rusher Is Hutchinson’s Missing Piece — Time to Call Him Up!
