Last year, the Lions traded for veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith during the season, and this year, both Smith and Lions officials have said they’d be interested in a reunion. But Smith remains a free agent, and there have been no recent talks between the two sides.
The Lions have one open roster spot at the moment, but when Lions General Manager Brad Holmes was asked if it’s possible that the Lions could use that spot on Smith, he didn’t sound like anything is imminent.
“Anything’s a possibility. At any point, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Holmes said. “But the one open roster spot is not for a specific player. It’s for the player that makes the most sense for us, whoever that might be.”
Asked if the Lions have spoken with Smith and his representatives about a return, Holmes answered, “Not recently, no.”
Smith is a good enough veteran pass rusher that he’ll draw interest during the season from any teams that find themselves with a need. But right now it doesn’t sound like the Lions think they need to bring him in.
