{"id":236226,"date":"2025-06-13T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=236226"},"modified":"2025-06-12T17:02:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T21:02:20","slug":"zadarius-smith-is-a-better-fit-for-the-lions-than-trey-hendrickson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/13\/zadarius-smith-is-a-better-fit-for-the-lions-than-trey-hendrickson\/","title":{"rendered":"Za\u2019Darius Smith Is A Better Fit for the Lions Than Trey Hendrickson"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

As Trey Hendrickson\u2019s contract holdout with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> drags on, the Lions could pursue a trade for the four-time\u00a0Pro Bowl candidate. \u00a0But a better option might be to re-sign Za’Darius Smith.<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Za\u2019Darius Smith Is A Better Fit for the Lions Than Trey Hendrickson<\/h2>\r\n

Now that Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> has been medically cleared, the Lions assume he will pick up where he left off a year ago. With 19 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and one forced fumble before he went down in Week 6, Hutchinson was the presumed Defensive Player of the Year<\/a>. In the five weeks before his injury, he recorded 72 pass-rush wins. According to PFF<\/a>, \u00a0it was the most ever by a defensive player in that time frame.\u00a0

However, following their 15-2 season, the Lions have been handed one of the NFL\u2019s toughest schedules. The team will face the NFL\u2019s top teams, including the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, Kansas City Chiefs, <\/a>and Los Angeles Rams<\/a>. Detroit’s defense will face some of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, including Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels,<\/a> and Matthew Stafford.<\/p>\r\n

However, to be the best, you have to beat the best. History has shown that quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions can rise to the challenge. Last year, the team played some of its best football against the toughest opponents. When Goff and the Buffalo Bills’<\/a> Josh Allen<\/a> faced off in Week 15, the final score was 48-42. Although the Lions lost, Goff matched Allen\u2019s four-touchdown production<\/a>. He was brilliant in that game, but Detroit’s injury-plagued defense may have been the difference. \u00a0Two weeks later, the Lions beat Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> by 40-34.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

A Healthy Lions Defense<\/h3>\r\n

With a fully healthy Lions roster, Kelvin Sheppard\u2019s defense is more than capable of meeting the challenge. However, Alim McNeil and Malcolm Rodriguez will miss the early part of the season. Both men will be on injured reserve until late fall, leaving a gap in the strength of Detroit\u2019s defense. Although Marcus Davenport\u2019s return is encouraging, he is injury-prone and has never played a full season.

For Detroit\u2019s defense to be ready to take on the NFL\u2019s top-tier offenses, the Lions need a premier EDGE to complement Hutchinson. While the prospect of trading for Hendrickson is tantalizing, a better option for the Lions would be to re-sign free agent Za\u2019Darius Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Why Smith Is the Best Option For The Lions<\/h3>\r\n

Smith has already proven himself to be a great fit for Detroit. In the brief time that he was with the Lions, he quickly established a rapport with the defense and learned the playbook. During his seven starts, he produced 12 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and a pass defense. Smith also proved himself to be a locker room leader. The veteran\u2019s winning attitude, passion for the game, and enthusiastic presence inspire those around him.

Detroit fans embraced Smith, and he quickly became a fan favorite. Fans have been clamoring for his return throughout the postseason. The feeling is mutual. Smith has made no secret of the fact that he wants to play for Detroit<\/a>. He loves playing for the team and has ties to the city. He is in a relationship with stunning actress and rapper Kash Doll,<\/a>\u00a0and his nephew Jackson Meeks<\/a> is on the roster as a rookie wide receiver.

Plus, from a financial standpoint, Smith could be acquired for a less costly price than Hendrickson. If Holmes re-signs Smith to a one-year agreement, that wouldn\u2019t add to the Lions’ already bloated 2026 salary cap.

The only negative facing Smith is his age. As a 32-year-old veteran, Smith\u2019s best years could be behind him. However, if last year is any indication, the Lions need not worry. Including his time in Cleveland, Smith produced a total of 35 tackles, 9.0 sacks, and a pass defense in 16 games.<\/p>\r\n

Is Hendrickson A Good Fit For the Lions?<\/h3>\r\n

The 30-year-old Hendrickson is an athlete in the prime of his career with 22 solo tackles, 18.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Hendrickson is an elite talent. Unfortunately for the Lions, he also wants to be compensated as such and is looking for a long-term contract. Cincinnati has yet to meet his demands. While he has proven his value to the team, there appears to be bad blood developing between the two that has been exacerbated by the holdout.

Hendrickson has no preferred destination. There is no indication he wants to play for another team. He simply wants to be paid, and until he has a signed contract, Hendrickson isn’t likely to play.

If Holmes were to enter into a trade for Hendrickson, the cost would be high. His multi-year salary would only add to the existing salary cap extensions in place for Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>, Penei Sewell, and Kirby Joseph. A trade for Hendrickson will require the Lions to relinquish some hefty draft capital to compensate the Bengals.

But another concern is that Hendrickson\u2019s holdout actions fly in the face of the Lions’ culture. This is a culture built on unity that discourages any divisive personal agendas in favor of putting the team\u2019s interests first. If Hendrickson is risking his long-term relationship with the Bengals over a contract dispute, who\u2019s to say he wouldn\u2019t do the same in Detroit if the circumstances were the same?

The Lions are in a win-now mode. According to Yahoo Sports,<\/a> St. Brown said it best: “For us, it’s Super Bowl or nothing.\u201d \u00a0Re-signing Smith is the Lions’ best option to make that happen. But Holmes had better act fast. Rumor has it that the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> are also interested in signing Smith.<\/p>\r\n

Main Photo: [Junfu Han] – USA Today Sports<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lions could pursue Trey Hendrickson\u2019s during his contract holdout with the Bengals. But re-signing Za’Darius Smith is the best option. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5208,"featured_media":236595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[8938,7578,32514,451,2599,2573,4601],"class_list":["post-236226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lions","tag-aidan-hutchinson","tag-amon-ra-st-brown","tag-brad-holmes","tag-jared-goff","tag-josh-allen","tag-trey-hendrickson","tag-zadarius-smith"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236226"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236596,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236226\/revisions\/236596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}