Speaking to the SNF crew after the Lions' epic comeback over the Texans, Smith revealed head coach Dan Campbell was not only insistent that he take the week off because he hadn't had a bye yet, but gave him two days to go to Florida to check on his house that had been hit by a hurricane.

Lions fans will have to wait a week to see the debut of new edge rusher Za’Darius Smith. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Smith, who was acquired by the Lions on Tuesday just before the trade deadline, will not play Sunday night against the Houston Texans.

Newly acquired pass rusher Za'Darius Smith practiced for the first time with the Detroit Lions on Friday, and the veteran hopes to make an impact on what he called a "dominant" football team.

One of the NFL's top defensive ends, Za'Darius Smith, arrived to Detroit Lions from the Cleveland Browns on the final day of the trade deadline. One of the NFL‘s breakout teams, the Detroit Lions, made a highly successful move on the final day of the trade deadline by adding one of the league’s top defensive ends,

The NFL Trade Deadline is Tuesday, November 5. After playing collegiately at East Mississippi Community College as well as Kentucky, Smith declared for the NFL Draft and was eventually selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Last week, the Detroit Lions traded for defensive end Za’Darius Smith, hoping to bolster their pass rush and run defense after suffering many injuries at the edge defender position. While fans were eager to see Smith play in a big “Sunday Night Football” contest with the Houston Texans,

“The Lions and Browns have discussed a potential trade for defensive end Za’Darius Smith. At this point, the expectation is that it’ll be more than talk. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the current expectation is that Smith will be traded to Detroit tonight or tomorrow.” – Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk

The Detroit Lions opted to sit veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith last week, even though he was ready to play. Head coach Dan Campbell explained the thought process behind that and revealed that Smith will make his debut in Week 11.

Checking in with Detroit Lions fans for our latest SB Nation Reacts survey: What are your expectations for Za’Darius Smith’s Lions debut?

The Detroit Lions are bolstering their pass rush by acquiring one of the top targets available at the trade deadline. Detroit completed a trade with the Cleveland Browns to get Za’Darius Smith and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026.