Originally posted May 12 2023 at 21:19.
Last updated June 8 2023 at 14:16.
The Minnesota Vikings have traded OLB Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns.
Browns receive:
Za’Darius Smith
2025 6th round pick
2025 7th round pick
Vikings receive:
2024 5th round pick
2025 5th round pick
The Browns needed another EDGE to pair with Myles Garrett. They took Isaiah McGuire in the 4th in April (a pick I liked ok), but their only signing in free agency was Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who was an inadequate replacement for Jadeveon Clowney.
Smith returns to the AFC North where he spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He will certainly be returning to his original NFL North position at defensive end as well.
After a wasted year with the Packers in 2021 in which he saw only a part of one game due to injury, Smith signed with the Vikings last season and almost returned to All-Pro form, registering 44 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 24 QB hits, and 10 sacks.
Cleveland is getting a very good player, who is still 30 and plays a premium position of need, for one season. Smith was signed with Minnesota through the end of the 2024 season and was set to make $9.45M in 2023 with $5.05M guaranteed. He had no guaranteed money on his contract for next season.
Under his reworked deal with the Browns Smith will make a fully guaranteed $11.75M this year and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
At the moment, Marcus Davenport will likely start at OLB for the Vikings. He’s been a disappointment since entering the league with the Saints as the 14th overall pick in 2018. Minnesota signed him to a one year, $13M deal this offseason.
Cleveland isn’t in a great position to be trading away (more) draft capital, but a 5th next year and a 5th in two years is negligible. They have an extra 2024 5th round pick from the Mayfield trade.
It’s impossible to say whether increasing Smith’s salary and reducing his contract term will benefit them for 2023, because almost everything about their success this season is dependent upon Deshaun Watson being Deshaun Watson from three years ago. I have my doubts about that, but if Smith does leave in free agency the Browns should receive a 2023 compensatory pick (the real kind).
I like the move a lot for the Browns. As for the Vikings, I think I know what they are doing here, and it’s not good. This is a cap space measure. They could use that money ($12,156,861) to fill a real need (offensive line, interior front seven). That still wouldn’t be great, given that they are giving away an All-Pro for almost nothing. (Also, OLB is now a real need.)
It’s worse, though, because my guess is that this money will go toward appeasing Dalvin Cook. Cook is currently holding out from voluntary off-season work and the Vikings have been suggesting that he take a pay cut while they’ve also been having trade talks with teams about him. They can cut Cook after June 1 and save $9.0M in cap.
There’s no good reason for Minnesota to keep Cook around. He’s expensive, historically injured (though he did manage a full season last year), and he’s almost 28. They have Mattison in his prime year (24.5 for running backs) who only has 404 carries despite having been in the league since 2019. I’m grading the Vikings poorly for this move, but I’ll change it to a failure if it does end up being to maintain Dalvin Cook.
I don’t understand why Minnesota wasn’t able to obtain more for Smith (even without much leverage). The two picks they’re getting I guess raise this from a D to a D+ for now. They’re an overrated team who isn’t winning anything real this season anyway. The Vikings didn’t feature Cook in their schedule release graphic (Mattison was in there) so maybe I’m wrong about what they are up to with this trade. Why did they need to include any picks in return, though?
6/8/2023 Update: The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly released Dalvin Cook.
Grade for the Browns: A
Grade for the Vikings: D+
Updated Grade for the Vikings following the reported release of Dalvin Cook: C-
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