Za’Darius Smith sits at 3.5 sacks on the season. It’s fair to have expected a larger total in sacks for the Browns edge rusher, especially by this point.
The former second-team All-Pro arrived as defensive aid for Myles Garrett, after having racked up double digit sacks in three seasons between 2019-22.
But if the the season ended today, this would be his lowest total since recording the same total of sacks through 14 games in 2017, his third season in the league.
While his total in sacks hasn’t lived up to the expectation, it could be noted Smith still finds a way to make his mark on the game. But how so?
What’s There
Pass Rush
Smith came to Cleveland with a reputation for pass rushing, having earned Pro Football Focus grades between 80.0 and 89.9 in four separate seasons in his career, including this season. So far this season among edge rushers, Smith ranks 13th in pass rush grading (81.4).
His play has helped Cleveland rank second in pass rush grading (90.8), per PFF.
Prior to arriving in Cleveland, Smith played majority of his snaps as the right edge rusher. He’s since made a switch to the left side, opposite of Myles Garrett.
Smith has rushed from the left side on 207 snaps. According to PFF’s pass rush productivity metric, Smith ranks 24th in PRP from the left side (7.7). PRP takes into account pressures and sacks, with sacks getting more weight.
This season he has rushed 70 times from the right side, where he’s spent the majority of his career. And he’s ranked 17th with a PRP of 10.0.
A case can be made that his transition to the other side of line plays a part in his lower grades and production.
Durability
Smith’s durability was in question heading into the season. His nagging back injury required surgery and limited Smith to two games in 2021. Then he suffered a knee contusion during Week 10 of 2022 season didn’t sideline him, but limited him to 0.5 sacks the rest of the way.
But what sets Cleveland’s defensive line apart from the rest of the league are the multiple players who can rotate in and still contribute. From Garrett to Ogbo Okoronkwo, who hasn’t started a game this season but played the fourth most snaps of anyone on the line (432) before suffering a pec injury.
So far, Smith’s been durable and able to avoid the injury bug that’s plagued some important team contributors.
What’s Lacking
Run Defense
While Smith is noteworthy for his pass rush, he has struggled against the run. This can be subjective, as the Browns’ run defense has been terrific, though they’ve recently dropped to 11th in yards allowed per game (103.3), but it’s more of a team thing compared to individual play.
However, Smith’s numbers from an individual perspective show he still has work to do against the run.
He has ended two seasons in his career with a PFF run defense grade of 70.0 or higher. His high mark of 76.1 came in 2019, and ranked 18th among edge rushers.
The rest of his seasons outside of that have graded out to a mediocre level, which includes this season. While he ranks 13th among edge rushers in pass rush (81.4), he ranks 67th in run defense (59.9).
Out of Cleveland’s 17 defensive members who’ve played the majority of the season, Smith is tied with Jordan Elliot for 13th in tackles on run plays (nine), and ranks 10th in stops made on run plays (four), per PFF.
Tackling
No, defensive ends don’t typically rack up tackles, but Smith has lacked consistent tackling compared to past seasons.
Through the first six seasons of Smith’s career, his totals in tackling increased by the year. Even after the back injury in 2021, he came back and put up a solid 44 tackles in 2022.
He currently sits at 23 tackles this season.
Among edge rushers, Smith currently sits 97th in PFF tackle grading (37.7), and has recorded the ninth-highest missed tackle percentage (29.6%). He’s ended six of the 13 games played this season with only one tackle.
Activity in the area of tackling from Smith would further elevate this unit.
Looking Forward
Smith has been a nice add to a defense that’s been one of the best the franchise has seen in a long time. He’s done his part when defending against the pass, and has been a key addition for aiding Garrett. But there’s still some ways to go to help this Cleveland defense hit its ceiling.
