Ever since the Detroit Lions released him earlier this offseason, fans have been clamoring for the team to reunite with veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.
The Lions have a shaky situation along the edge. Aidan Hutchinson is in his first year back from a serious injury and the guy starting opposite him, Marcus Davenport, is injury-prone.
Making matters worse, the Lions took a pair of hits to their depth at the position, as neither Josh Paschal nor rookie Ahmed Hassanein are going to be ready for the start of the season.
With the roster cutdown deadline just hours away, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Smith is "one name to watch" on the free-agent market and he is drawing interest from "multiple contending teams."
"With free agency picking up a bit this week, one name to watch is Za’Darius Smith, who finished with nine sacks last year," Fowler wrote. "Multiple contending teams have checked in on Smith, who is training and waiting on the right situation."
One team we know of that has interest in Smith is, of course, the Lions. General manager Brad Holmes said earlier this month that "there's obviously still interest there" when it comes to the 32-year-old.
Smith has made it abundantly clear that he wants to return to Detroit, so the feeling is mutual between the two sides.
"We both know where I want to be," Smith said to Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY Sports in June. "Hopefully I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great.
"When I'm there, I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things. Hopefully, I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit," Smith added.
After releasing Smith, Holmes revealed that it was a financial decision and the team simply "couldn't afford" to keep him.
That still remains a bit puzzling, as Smith was due about $11 million or so on the final year of his deal and the Lions are sitting with $48.1 million in cap space currently.
Whatever the case may be, the Lions need to make a move and bring Smith back before someone else snatches him up.
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