Did Browns pull off another Amari Cooper deal by adding Za’Darius Smith? – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Za’Darius Smith trade seemed to come out of nowhere for the Browns.

That’s what I was thinking when I heard the Browns traded a fifth-round pick in 2024 and another fifth-round pick in 2025 to Minnesota for Smith, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

Not only that, the Browns received sixth- and seventh-round picks in 2025 from Minnesota as part of the trade.

You read that and wonder, “Is something wrong with Smith?”

In many ways, this is like the Amari Cooper deal pulled off by GM Andrew Berry last spring. Dallas was looking to dump Cooper’s $20 million salary. Most teams liked Cooper, but didn’t want to take on the money.

The Browns sent a fifth-round pick and agreed to swap sixth-rounders with Dallas to add Cooper. The veteran caught 78 passes, nine for TDs, with the Browns.

WHY WAS THE MARKET SOFT FOR SMITH?

Can the 30-year-old Smith deliver 10 sacks? He started strong, with 8.5 sacks in the first seven games. He had only 1.5 sacks in the last 10 games. He was bothered by a knee injury, but played through it.

In 2021, he played only one game due to back surgery.

That’s part of the reason the market was soft for Smith.

There also was his contract. Before the 2022 season, he was a free agent. He signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Minnesota. According to Over The Cap, only $11.5 million was guaranteed.

By making the trade, the Browns guaranteed $11.5 million for 2023. But I hear Minnesota is paying part of the salary.

The Vikings and Smith weren’t happy with each other by the end of the season. Minnesota signed defensive lineman Marcus Davenport to an $11 million deal for 2023. Smith had asked to be released and the Vikings wanted to move him to another team.

When the Browns saw that, they wanted to make a modest trade before Smith was cut and became a free agent.

In the NFL, good players approaching 30 often become available because teams don’t want to pay them. The league does have a real salary cap.

THE BROWNS PLANS FOR SMITH

Meanwhile, the Browns are overjoyed.

They now have Smith to join fellow defensive ends Myles Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo. I hear new Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes he can play all three of them in certain situations. Smith has a history of being a strong rusher inside. He also can rush the passer from the traditional defensive end spots.

With Minnesota, he also had 24 QB hits along with those 10 sacks.

In 2019-20 with Green Bay, Smith had 26 sacks in 32 games.

I hear Schwartz is overjoyed with the deal. The Browns keep adding defensive linemen.

Here’s the best part for the Browns: They gave up so little for Smith. It’s the perfect low-risk, high-reward deal – much like the Cooper trade was a year ago.

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