Za'Darius Smith is officially a member of the Browns.
The Browns agreed to trade for Smith late last week and the they announced that the deal has been finalized on Tuesday morning. They will send a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Minnesota as compensation for the veteran edge rusher.
Smith spent one season with the Vikings and had 10 sacks and 24 quarterback hits. He’ll try to produce at the same level while playing across from Myles Garrett on the edges of the Cleveland defense. He’ll also get a chance to mentor younger teammates on the finer points of rushing the passer.
The Browns also added Dalvin Tomlinson, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Maurice Hurst, and Trysten Hill to their defensive line and Jim Schwartz is now coordinating a defense that everyone in Cleveland hopes will be more effective than the 2022 version.