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NFL teams looking for pass-rushing help ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline will reportedly have to settle for options beyond the headline names.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday the Las Vegas Raiders will not make Maxx Crosby available. The update comes after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported the Cleveland Browns do not plan on trading Myles Garrett.
Cleveland may move another defensive end, though, as Schefter called Za’Darius Smith “one of the most logical pass-rushing trade targets” given the updates around Crosby and Garrett.
It is anything but surprising the Browns may trade Smith, as they are 1-6 and largely playing out the string on what is shaping up to be a lost season.
They already traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, and quarterback Deshaun Watson is out for the season with an Achilles injury. While trading someone like Garrett, who is one of the best players in the entire league, would bring in a larger return package, the team surely wants him to anchor its defense in future seasons.
Garrett is under contract through the 2026 season, while the 2025 campaign is the final one on Smith’s current deal.
Smith may be a consolation prize for teams that were interested in Garrett and Crosby, but he has an impressive resume that includes three Pro Bowl selections. The 32-year-old has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Browns since he was a fourth-rounder in the 2015 NFL draft.
This is his second year with Cleveland, and he already has four sacks through seven games. He also isn’t far removed from the 2022 season when he posted 10 sacks, which was the third time in a four-year span he reached double-digit sacks.
While Smith has benefited from playing alongside Garrett, who is constantly drawing double teams, he could provide veteran leadership for a team down the stretch as he pursues the first Super Bowl ring of his career.
And Cleveland could get a draft pick in return as it attempts to accelerate a rebuild during a disappointing season.
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