ClutchPoints
When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Za’Darius Smith to help bolster their defensive line in the hours after a Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it turned heads around the fanbase.
After entering the season with question marks at the edge rusher position, a fact made all the more concerning following the news that both Azeez Ojulari and Ogbo Okoronkwo were inactive for Week 1 of Thursday Night Football, the Eagles landed the best veteran rusher on the open market before any of their competitors were finished their opening weekend games and did so without having to surrender a pick in the process.
Discussing why he decided to sign with the Eagles despite having interest from a number of top-tier teams around the NFL, Smith noted that he liked what Philadelphia has built, specifically shouting out Okoronkwo and “Big” Dom DiSandro for making the choice easier.
“You know, man, I had a lot of teams calling, but I just felt comfortable coming to Philly. I know Ogbo (Okoronkwo), we was together in Cleveland. I talked to him and he was just telling me about the organization, the locker room and the great people that are here. Dom (DiSandro), one of the head guys. Man, I love Dom. Just this whole team and this culture, man. I love everything about it. Hey, they just got a Super Bowl and hopefully we can get it again. But we’re just going to take it one week at a time and go 1-0 each and every week.”
After initially signing with the Cleveland Browns to form a dynamic one-two punch with Myles Garrett, Smith rapidly became a trade candidate when things fell apart for Kevin Stefanski’s club in 2024. From there, he was shipped to the Detroit Lions to help fill the void left by Aidan Hutchinson and got to see what it means to be on a team with Super Bowl aspirations once more.
With Philadelphia in that very same Super Bowl-contending position and in need of an inside-out veteran presence to help fill Brandon Graham’s shoes, it’s clear Smith will fit right in, especially if he can provide some additional production off the edge.
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