Film Breakdown: How Lions DE Za’Darius Smith looked in his debut

Breaking down the All-22 of how new Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith looked in his debut with the team.

For weeks leading up to the NFL trade deadline, fans of the Detroit Lions clamored for general manager Brad Holmes to make a move. And not just any move, something that was going to move the needle for a team with legitimate championship aspirations.

Despite it still being prior to the halfway point of the season at the time, Detroit’s defensive front had been decimated by injuries, headlined by the loss of star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. As the hour approached, the rumblings got louder and just like that—defensive end Za’Darius Smith was traded to Detroit from the Cleveland Browns.

Since it would have been Smith’s bye week had he not been traded from Cleveland, Lions coach Dan Campbell elected not to dress Campbell during their Week 10 win over the Houston Texans. Having a few days off also afforded Smith the chance to return back to Florida to assess the damage caused to his home from this year’s hurricane season—a classy move no matter what some little guy from New Jersey might tell you.

The 10-year veteran made his debut during the Lions’ 52-6 thumping of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, and he certainly did not disappoint. Let’s check out some of the All-22 and see how Smith’s first appearance in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s defense shook out.

Varying alignments on passing downs

Third-and-8 on Detroit 45. 10:22 left in first quarter

One thing I liked that Glenn did with Smith was how he varied where he lined up pre-snap. Here we have an obvious passing down for the Jaguars, and we get Smith standing up over the center, with defensive tackle Alim McNeill at the three-technique, and edge rushers James Houston and Josh Paschal on the outside.

Almost like you see in the NBA, coaching staffs are looking to expose mismatches now more than ever in the NFL. And the majority of the time, Smith against any interior offensive lineman is going to be a challenge for the blocker.

Below is another instance where he is standing up in a passing situation with the Jaguars in their hurry-up offense. That is Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Scherff that Smith made quick work of by beating his hands, and hurrying Jacksonville quarterback Mac Jones.

Next up, we just have an instance of Glenn just being mean. Look at the front he rolls out against Jacksonville as they go for it on fourth-down late in the game. Smith is able to easily work around Jacksonville center Mitch Morse, and Jones has zero chance to do anything before the defense gets to him. Also, watch what Jack Campbell does to the poor guard while he is trying to clear things up to get McNeill free. Sheesh.

Lastly, we have Smith standing in a wide alignment next to McNeill. Jones is able to get the ball out on time, but watch as as the two defenders run a “TE stunt” which essentially means that McNeill (the tackle in this instance) goes first, with Smith looping around working off his teammate’s hip to rush the quarterback.

Using two dynamic players like McNeill and Smith in games and stunts are a great way to cause issues for an opposing offensive line, and the two should only get better at executing these kinds of concepts as they get more experience playing with each other.

Setting the edge against the run

Third-and-1 on Jacksonville 39. 3:41 left in first quarter

One aspect that has been known about Smith’s game since he entered the league is that he is an eager run defender. Simply put, if you need an edge set against an opposing running game—he is your guy.

At this point, the wheels had not fallen off yet for Jacksonville, with the Lions only leading 7-3 with under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Jaguars really needed to pick this up to get a fresh set of downs and keep their defense off the field. Instead, the Lions fit things up perfectly and there is nowhere for running back Travis Etienne to go.

Great job all around. From Smith setting the edge, to linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez squeezing down towards the tackle—just beautiful team defense.

Next, we have another example of Smith setting the edge with the Jaguars running a zone concept towards his side on a first down snap. Watch him extend that left arm against left tackle Walker Little and give up no ground. When the Dan Campbell talked about Smith fitting right in with how they like to play defense, I imagine this was the kind of stuff he was talking about.

Smith logged 37 snaps in his debut with the Lions, and to nobody’s surprise, was a very productive player when he was on the field. Along with linebacker Jack Campbell, he was credited for half a sack, along with two other quarterback hurries.

With more time spent in the system and in the room with defensive line coach Terrell Williams, we should expect plenty of impact from Smith over the course of the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.

His talent, experience, and mentality are all welcome additions to a defensive unit that is, for good reasons, really feeling themselves.