Why Za'Darius Smith decided to join Eagles after Week 1

Why Za'Darius Smith decided to join Eagles after Week 1

Za’Darius Smith watched the Eagles-Cowboys game last Thursday night.

Very closely.

“I had a sense that I was coming,” Smith said with a smile after his first practice with the Eagles. “They actually wanted to get me here Tuesday before that game to where I could possibly play Thursday. And at the end, they told me to stay at home, spend a couple more days with my family and they’ll just get me here next week. Just happy to be here and can’t wait to get going.”

Smith, who turned 33 on Monday, officially signed with the Eagles the day after their Week 1 win over the Cowboys.

And even though Smith just got here, he fully expects to play on Sunday when the Eagles face the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX.

“Yeah, for sure,” Smith said. “I’m ready to go, man. Like I said, this is my first day back. I feel good. Got back in the backfield a couple times. Just been working with the younger guys on the line, us coordinating rushes with each other and basically containing the quarterback. I’m going to be good, I’m going to be ready to go.”

Last season, Smith split his time between the Browns and the Lions. But he was not with a team all spring and summer.

He was just waiting for the right opportunity and the three-time Pro Bowler thinks he found it in Philly.

“You know, man, I had a lot of teams calling, but I just felt comfortable coming to Philly,” Smith said. “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.”

When asked what Okoronkwo told him about the organization, Smith said his former teammate told him how hard they work in practice. Smith got a chance to experience that on Wednesday.

Wednesday was the first time Smith put on pads since Jan. 18, when the Lions were eliminated by the Commanders in the divisional round. While he admitted he was a bit winded at first, he eventually got it going during team drills.

Smith will obviously need to get into football shape — the Eagles will likely limit his snaps on Sunday — but he was working out when he didn’t have a team. Smith built a home gym in Orlando in 2020 during COVID and made sure to stay ready.

“I don’t have to put much online to show that I’m working, but they know,” Smith said. “They saw it today.”

Even though he’s 33 now (the oldest player on the Eagles’ defense) and even though he has already played 10 seasons in the NFL, Smith always planned on returning for the 2025 season.

If you were wondering if Smith was considering retirement, he wasn’t.

“Nah, I was playing for sure,” Smith said. “I’m not hanging it up yet. I see where you was going with that. But nah, man, I got a lot more left in the tank. I started my senior year in high school so it’s like I’m still young in the game. I got a lot more left.”

Based on his 2024 season, Smith might be right. He had 9 sacks and 60 pressures last year and had a pressure rate of 14.9%, which was higher than any Eagles defensive lineman last season.

There’s a reason the Eagles signed Smith.

“Excited about Za’Darius and what he can add,” head coach Nick Sirianni said this week. “From watching his tape the last five years, really, as I see him or even more than that, and then what he did last year. Looking forward to that. I think he adds to a very deep room where we have a lot of confidence in all those guys.”

The Eagles will still roll with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as their starters but Za’Darius Smith will give a much-needed boost to the rotation after the starters. That group also includes Josh Uche, Patrick Johnson, Azeez Ojulari and Okoronkwo.

While the Eagles haven’t talked to Smith too much about his role, they’re obviously hoping he can help a defense that didn’t register a sack in its Week 1 win.

“I’m not out here to prove nothing,” Smith said. “I’m just here to help this team the best I can. We got a lot of younger guys so I can be mentor to them. Winning. Hopefully, we can win games and get to where they were last year to where I can get a chance to experience it.”