Cleveland Browns acquire Vikings pass rusher Za’Darius Smith in bid to rejuvenate defensive line

The Browns’ defensive line just went from disappointing to arguably dominant after they agreed to acquire three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings.

Cleveland on Friday sent fifth-round picks in 2024 and 2025 to the Vikings for Smith, a sixth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-rounder in 2026, according to ESPN.

At the Browns, Smith will be paired up front with All-Pro end Myles Garrett, one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. Shortly after news of the trade broke, the team posted a photo of a smiling Garrett with no caption on Twitter.

The 30-year-old Smith had 10 sacks last season, his first with Minnesota, and has 54 1/2 since his 2015 burglary with Baltimore. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Vikings before last season, with $ 11.5 million guaranteed.

After going 7-10 last season, the Browns made revamping their defense a priority. They’ve done just that with the signing of free agent tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and safety Juan Thornhill.

The 30-year-old had 10 sacks for the Vikings last year, a year after making one appearance for the Packers

Smith should give the Browns two players capable of pocket disruption and another weapon for new coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Smith experienced something of a renaissance with the Vikings in 2022 after a back injury in 2021 limited him to one game with Green Bay.

However, Smith had 8 1/2 of his sacks through the first seven games, and his pressure percentage dropped significantly during the second half of the schedule.

Shortly after news of the trade broke, the Browns shared a photo of a smiling Myles Garrett with no caption on Twitter

The only game he missed was the pointless regular season finale, but a nagging knee injury limited his impact.

With a planned salary cap of more than $15 million, Smith became an obvious candidate for release or trade for the capped Vikings. Smith even posted a message on Twitter in March with strong farewell sentiments, thanking the entire organization for a “great season and experience.”

Two months later, the departure finally came – saving the Vikings more than $12 million in cap space.

The Vikings ran a 3-4 schedule on their base defense, with Smith and Danielle Hunter in the outside linebacker spots, but Schwartz’s 4-3 system will make Smith more of a traditional defensive end. He also played in a 3-4 over three seasons with the Packers.

Marcus Davenport, who signed on as a free agent after leaving New Orleans, will be first in line to fill Smith’s role opposite Hunter.