BIOGRAPHY
Za'Darius Smith was born on September 8th, 1992, in Greenville, Alabama, he currently plays outside linebacker in the NFL.
Smith attended Greenville High School in Greenville, Alabama. He started playing football in his senior year. Smith played college football for two years at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to the University of Kentucky. In his two years at East Mississippi, he recorded 66 tackles and 11 sacks. In his first year at Kentucky, Smith started all 12 games and recorded 59 tackles and six sacks. As a senior in 2014, Smith had 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Smith in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 2015, Smith played 15 games with 30 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two passes defended. In the 2016 season, he played in 13 games and started four. He recorded one pass defense, one forced fumble, one sack, 20 tackles, and four quarterback hits. In the 2017 season, he appeared in 14 games and started four. He recorded one pass defense, one forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, 24 tackles, and 16 quarterback hits.
In Week 6 of the 2018 season, Smith recorded three sacks, which was part of the new team record 11 sacks, in a 21–0 win over the Tennessee Titans, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with career-highs with 45 combined tackles, 8.5 sacks, two passes defended and a forced fumble. He led the Ravens in sacks and finished sixth on the team in tackles.
On March 14, 2019, Smith signed a four-year contract with the Green Bay Packers. In Smith's debut as a Packer in week 1, he made 3 tackles and sacked Mitchell Trubisky once in the 10–3 win over the Chicago Bears. In week 6 against the Detroit Lions, Smith recorded a sack on Matthew Stafford in the 23–22 win. In week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith sacked Matt Moore twice in the 31–24 win. In week 12 against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith recorded a team high 6 tackles and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo once in the 37–8 loss. In week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, Smith sacked Kirk Cousins 3.5 times during the 23–10 win. Smith finished the regular season with a career high 13.5 sacks. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith recorded 2 sacks on Russell Wilson during the 28–23 win.
In Week 3 of the 2020 season against the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday Night Football, Smith forced a fumble on Taysom Hill that was recovered by the Packers during the 37–30 win. In Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, Smith sacked Matt Ryan three times during the 30–16 win. Smith was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 4. In Week 12 against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, Smith recorded a strip sack on Mitchell Trubisky that was recovered and returned for a touchdown by teammate Preston Smith during the 41–25 win. On December 21, 2020, he was selected for the 2021 Pro Bowl. On January 8, 2021, he made the 2020 All-Pro Team second team.
Za’Darius signed a three-year deal with the Vikings. Smith joined the Cleveland Browns in 2023. Smith signed a 2-year deal with the Cleveland Browns starting in 2024.
