The Cleveland Browns made a major addition to their defensive line recently by trading for former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Za’Darius Smith.
Smith is a proven pass-rusher that the Browns hope to partner opposite of Myles Garrett to relieve pressure off their All-Pro defensive end.
The early returns have Garrett salivating at the prospect of what’s possible with his new teammate.
“Most sacks by a duo in NFL history is 39? Bet,” Garrett said recently about Smith.
Garrett reached out early to establish a connection with Smith.
“He sent me a text message telling me that he can’t wait to get going and hopefully we could be the best duo in the league,” Smith said, according to The Toledo Blade. “And I was telling him the D-line, we got to come up with a name for the room. So he was like, ‘All right, I’m going to get some shirts, we going to make it big.’ So that chemistry already, I can tell is going to be great.”
Garrett finished with 16 sacks last season; Smith with 10 sacks for the Vikings.
If they both improve those numbers, it should bode well for the Browns after last season’s disappointing finish in the basement of the AFC North.
