Za’Darius Smith, 2 others out as Lions begin preparations for Texans - mlive.com

Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith warms up before an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) APAP

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions were without three defenders on Thursday as preparations began for their prime-time showdown against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.

Linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) were sidelined by injuries, while new pass rusher Za’Darius Smith got another off day. Smith was acquired in a trade this week with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland is currently on its bye, and Detroit elected to give Smith a couple days off after playing nine straight weeks of football. (For the two-win Browns, no less.)

Smith is expected to join the team for practice on Friday, and his status for Sunday’s game remains unclear. But he’s expected to play a large role in the pass rush whenever he’s ready to go.

“Obviously he’s not with us at this moment,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “He’ll be back with us on Friday, and we’ll see exactly where he’s at. I can’t promise you he’s going to play or not, and that will be up to coach (Dan) Campbell to make those decisions and him to say exactly where he’s at. But I am excited about having that player.

“Listen, I’m not going to compare this player to (Aidan Hutchinson). It’s hard to compare anybody to Hutch. But he has his own traits and skillsets that we’re going to take advantage of, and the more I get to know the player and the more we get a chance to watch him, we’re going to try to put him in position to be successful.”

Smith provides immediate relief for a pass rush that has suffered a rash of injuries in the first half of the season. Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky and Derrick Barnes were lost to long-term issues early on, then Hutchinson -- leading the NFL in sacks, pressures, QB hits and pass rush win rate in the first six weeks of the season -- broke his left fibia and tibia while taking down Dak Prescott in Dallas.

In the three-plus games since, the defensive front has combined for one sack, and those guys didn’t hit Jordan Love at all over the weekend. The Lions needed obvious help heading into the trade deadline, and after weeks of tap dancing with the Browns, general manager Brad Holmes got a deal done with just hours left on the clock.

Smith instantly becomes the No. 1 pass rusher on the current roster. He has 65 sacks in 10 seasons, was named to three Pro Bowls and is currently tracking for his fourth double-digit sack season. He had five sacks in nine games with Cleveland. He’s also good against the run, filling a two-way, Davenport-type role in Aaron Glenn’s defense.

“Listen, the first thing that everybody sees with this player is the edge presence that he has,” Glenn said. “He’s tough. He’s been doing it for a long time. He’s tough in the run game, he can set an edge, which we really look forward to seeing him do, but then he has a knack for really going inside and being able to capture an edge on third down against guards.

“So, listen, Hutch can do that, but you see Z and the body type he has, man, he’s really good at doing that. And then you actually see it on tape of him being able to make plays in that situation. So, the more that we look at him and see what he likes as a player, we’re going to use him in those situations.”

With Rodriguez and Reeves-Maybin also trending the wrong way heading into Houston -- not to mention the continued loss of Barnes -- the Lions are whisker-thin at linebacker too. Trevor Nowaske has played well in a reserve role this season, and could be leaned on alongside Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell against the Texans.

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