The Cleveland Browns’ signing of Za’Darius Smith received gushing praise from hosts Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo of the PFF NFL Show.
Za’Darius Smith was acquired by the Cleveland Browns in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, and the move has generally been praised. In fact, the led some publications to reevaluate their views of the Browns before this season. Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson of the PFF NFL Show may have been the only people who had more positive opinions on this move and the Browns summer in general.
When responding to the deal on Monday, Palazzolo said, “I love this move for the Browns.”
It’s wonderful for Cleveland and that’s despite the fact that they actually hammered their defensive line very hard this offseason, Monson chimed in. They increased the edge by (Ogbonnia) Okoronkwo. Then Dalvin Tomlinson was added. Isaiah McGuire was drafted again by them.
They have in fact struck that general region quite severely, yet they nevertheless said, “You know what? According to reports, Za’Darius Smith is only willing to sign a contract and absolutely nothing else. Let’s complete this.
According to PFF WAR measure, Smith has been one of the league’s most valued edge rushers throughout that time period, averaging 70 pressures each season for the equivalent of a seventh-round selection.
Additionally, they mentioned that Smith is the finest opponent Myles Garrett has ever faced in his career. a list that most recently includes Olivier Vernon and Jadeveon Clowney.
He has a lot of experience rushing the passer from the inside in an effort to create mismatches, which increases his worth. In other words, the Browns may line up Smith across from a guard while having Garrett and Okoronkwo on the edges.
This sparked a conversation regarding the value that clubs can create by maintaining room available on their salary cap, which allowed them to sign a player like Smith. During his time as general manager, Andrew Berry has made this a strategic move. In order to be able to take advantage of these kinds of possibilities, Palazzolo particularly argued for the addition of several day three choices.
The Browns did that the previous season when they traded three-day selections for wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was then playing for the Dallas Cowboys. This was an effort by the Cowboys to free up cap space to spend elsewhere, similar to what they did with the Vikings and Smith. Cooper has nine touchdowns in his debut season with the Browns on the strength of 78 catches for 1,178 yards.
Berry also makes a point of including pick swaps in deals rather than just giving up selections because of this. It is preferable to go down a round or two as opposed to just giving up picks.
Elijah Moore of the New York Jets was acquired by the NFL Cleveland Browns in exchange for a third-round selection (74th overall) and the Browns’ 42nd overall second-round pick. With that choice, the Browns selected Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
For the price of the 42nd overall selection, the Browns acquired two wide outs. If it was a wise investment or not will depend on time. They provided themselves with the opportunity to trade that selection and keep looking for more trade partners or players.
Although Za’Darius Smith’s performance in Cleveland remains to be seen, it is easy to see why Steve Palazzolo referred to this trade as “a potential home run for the Browns.”
