Getty Cleveland Browns DE Za'Darius Smith celebrates a sack.
Following a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans to kick off the NFL playoffs, the Cleveland Browns are now in offseason mode. And executive VP of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry certainly has his work cut out for him.
Not only do the Browns face significant salary-cap concerns, but they’ve also got 26 pending free agents, one of the most notable names being three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, who Cleveland acquired last May in a surprise trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite not putting up the numbers he has in the past, Smith could still fetch a pretty penny in free agency, and the Browns may not be able to afford his services, given their financial issues.
As such, if the Browns opt not to bring Smith back to play opposite Myles Garrett, Pro Football Focus believes the Atlanta Falcons should pursue the 31-year-old with this assessment:
“The Falcons struggled to generate much pressure off the edge in 2023, and while they will be encouraged by Arnold Ebiketie’s development in his second NFL season, a veteran presence would be a wise addition. Smith has earned an 84.0 PFF pass-rushing grade or better in each of his past four seasons with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps.”
The Falcons haven’t really had a dominant pass rusher since John Abraham left town following the 2013 season, so signing Smith to a short-term deal could be worth it. And Atlanta is in a far better position than Cleveland to make a run at him.
The Falcons Have a Much Better Salary Cap Situation Than the Browns
Heading into the 2024 NFL offseason, Spotrac projects the Browns to be $13.86 million over the salary cap.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson, of course, is the major factor there, as his cap hit for the 2024 season is $63.977 million, the largest in league history. But he’s certainly not Cleveland’s only high-paid player, as Amari Cooper, Denzel Ward, and Myles Garrett have a combined cap hit of $67.39 million.
The one free agent each team should sign this offseason, per @PFF_Gordon
And while Berry is almost certain to restructure Watson’s contract for the second straight season to free up space, there likely won’t be any room for Za’Darius Smith, who played this past season on a one-year/$11.71 million deal.
On the other hand, Spotrac projects the Falcons to have $29.88 million in available cap space, a number likely to rise even further once Atlanta makes a few cuts. So they’ll be in a much better position to pursue Smith if they so choose.
Za’Darius Smith Still Has Plenty Left in the Tank
Coming off his lone season with the Vikings in which he recorded 44 tackles, 10 sacks, 5 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble, Smith’s stats weren’t quite as impressive with the Browns in 2023 with 27 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.
However, the decline in simple stats doesn’t mean he wasn’t effective. For instance, Smith racked up 29 QB pressures, good for a tie for 27th among all NFL defensive players. And overall, his mere presence on the Browns’ line forced teams to pay extra attention to more than just a single pass-rusher, thus opening up more opportunities for Garrett.
Za’Darius Smith’s 2023 regular season (Year 9) : 27 tackles, 8 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 3 passes defensed & a forced fumble in 16 games (1st season in Cleveland)
Now, that same mere presence might not mean quite as much with the Falcons, who obviously don’t have a defender comparable to Garrett. However, perhaps Smith would rise to the challenge of once again being the guy on a defensive line, even if he’d have to battle two-time Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett for that title, assuming Jarrett recovers nicely from the torn ACL that ended his season in Week 8.
But if nothing else, as PFF noted, adding a savvy veteran could do nothing but benefit the Atlanta locker room, especially a veteran who still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Za’Darius Smith will undoubtedly earn some solid game checks during the 2024 season. But will they come from the Browns, the Falcons, or someone else? We’ll find out soon enough.