The Lions have leaned on a variety of players to make up for the absence of Hutchinson, including Levi Onwuzurike, James Houston and Josh Paschal, but none of them has been an every-down player like Hutchinson was. Adding Smith gives Detroit another player to add to that rotation.

The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and as expected, the final day was action-packed. The Detroit Lions found a new pass rusher, the Cincinnati Bengals added a running back and the Washington Commanders landed a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.