Lions Trade Proposal Lands $23 Million Replacement for Aidan Hutchinson

With star edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson out for the rest of the season with a fractured leg, the Detroit Lions desperately could use an upgrade to their pass-rush.

Hutchinson led the NFL with 7.5 sacks, 45 pressures, 29 hurries and eight QB hits at the time of his injury, and without him, the Lions’ front-seven lacks some serious punch.

Six Detroit players — Alim McNeil, Levi Onwuzurike, D.J. Reader, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and Marcus Davenport — have combined for the same number of sacks that Hutchinson had himself, which is why Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently proposed a trade that would land the Lions Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith as a Hutchinson replacement.

“The Browns have every reason to be sellers, starting 1-5 but boasting a number of quality defensive assets, and Detroit has every reason to be buying at edge-rusher, where star youngster Aidan Hutchinson is out indefinitely with a broken leg,” Benjamin wrote .

“Smith has already toured the NFC North, starting with the Packers and also suiting up for the Vikings, and while he's better suited as a rotational rusher at 32, he'd represent a clear upgrade for a thin unit in Motown, where the Lions are bent on making another run at the NFC title.”

Through six games, Smith has 10 pressures, seven hurries, three sacks and two tackles for loss. While he has taken on a lesser role with Clevelnd this season, Smith’s presence would at least give the Lions the semblance of a credible threat coming off the edge.

The 32-year-old was a top pass-rusher the last two seasons, logging a combined 141 pressures, 95 hurries, 30 QB hits and 15.5 sacks with the Browns and Minnesota Vikings.

If James Houston can find the form that helped him log eight sacks and 17 pressures as a rookie in 2022, he would form a solid 1-2 punch with Smith if the Lions acquired him.