The Cleveland Browns are bound to shuffle the roster to some degree this offseason, but there’s one free agent whose loss would impact the team greater than the rest.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus proclaimed defensive end Za’Darius Smith the player the Browns simply “can’t afford to lose” once free agency officially hits on March 13.
“Cleveland traded for the veteran defensive lineman before the 2023 campaign, and while his sack production dipped from past seasons, Smith’s pass-rush acumen is still very apparent. He can win lined up all across the formation,” Spielberger wrote on Thursday, January 25.
“Smith’s 90.1 pass-rush grade over the past two seasons ranks seventh among edge defenders, and his 16.6% pressure rate ranks ninth.
Smith was a solid complement to Myles Garrett, lining up opposite the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year on the front of the league’s top-rated defense.
Spielberger’s analysis of Smith’s importance is based on advanced analytics and not traditional counting statistics, which helps measure a player’s value between the lines — both literally and figuratively.
That said, Smith wasn’t without impact via the most traditional measurements either.
The three-time Pro Bowler finished the season with 20 QB hits, 8 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, per Pro Football Reference.
He also added 3 pass breakups and a forced fumble across 16 games played/started.
Opposing offensive lines had to account for Smith in a similar fashion to Garrett, which helped the league’s top defender by drawing attention to the other side of the defensive front and limiting double-teams to at least some degree.
Losing Smith potentially means more focus from offensive coordinators on taking Garrett out of the game in 2024.
