Za'Darius Smith
Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are just days away from their Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Of course the greatest level of intrigue comes at the quarterback position. J.J. McCarthy is set to make his professional debut, and the expectations couldn’t be higher.
There are some serious questions on the defensive side of the ball. The cornerback position looks more thin than it ever has. That may wind up being a problem for defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
If he’s going to counteract that it will come in the form of an imposing pass rush. That unit has never been better, and a former flameout wouldn’t have been a consideration amongst this group.
Za’Darius Smith lands job with Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys kicked off the 2025 regular season. Jalen Carter gave us the spit heard round the world while being disqualified before even seeing a snap. Now he’ll be joined by a new rusher off the edge.
Three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith is signing with the #Eagles on a one-year deal, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Smith has 69 career sacks, including nine last season. Now he joins the defending champs on a deal negotiated by @ErikBurkhardt of ROC Nation. pic.twitter.com/yNkWtPmgCk
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 5, 2025
After an injury-marred season with Green Bay, Za’Darius Smith signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. He played just a single game in 2021, but was available for 16 games while wearing purple.
His 10 sacks in 2022 were just the third time in eight seasons he had surpassed double-digit totals. He forced his way out of Minnesota only to join the Cleveland Browns and be less effective (5.5 sacks). After being traded again last season, this time to the Detroit Lions, Smith was made aware how little teams wanted to put up with him.
Unsigned through the offseason after being released in March, Smith finally found a home on Friday. The Philadelphia Eagles decided to bring him in on a one-year deal.
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The Eagles won 24-20 at home against the Dallas Cowboys to open the NFL schedule on Thursday. They looked outmatched though, and the defense didn’t record a single sack. Maybe that would have been better if Jalen Smith remained active, but the unit as a whole was laughable.
Now with a week to practice, Philadelphia will hope they can get him up to speed in shot order.
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