The Detroit Lions flirted with the idea of bringing back defensive end Za’Darius Smith this season, but those plans — if they ever truly existed — have fallen through.

Smith joined the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million on Friday, September 5, which leaves the Lions with a significant roster hole across from Aidan Hutchinson on the opposite bookend of the defensive line.

It appears that Detroit is content enough to start Marcus Davenport in that spot, at least to begin the year, though doing so is risky because of his lack of availability and production over the past three seasons.

Should the Lions look to use some of their more than $34 million in salary cap space to add another edge rusher, the team’s best option is almost certainly Jadeveon Clowney.

“Anything’s a possibility,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said in late August when asked if Detroit was holding an open roster spot in anticipation of Smith’s return. “But the one open roster spot is not for a specific player. It’s for the player that makes the most sense for us, whoever that might be.”

Jadeveon Clowney Represents Slight Downgrade From Za’Darius Smith

GettyFormer Carolina Panthers pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney is a former No. 1 overall pick (2014), a three-time Pro Bowler and has amassed 58 career sacks along with 108 tackles for loss and 139 QB hits.

He most recently inked a two-year deal worth $20 million to join the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2024 campaign, during which he compiled 22 quarterback pressures and 5.5 sacks. The Panthers released Clowney in early May prior to the second year of that contract.

Clowney will play the upcoming campaign at 32 years old. However, despite being nearly six months younger than Smith, Clowney has one more year of NFL tread on his tires. Smith has also played his best football more recently than Clowney.

As such, Smith was likely to command more money in free agency than Clowney. His $9 million deal with Philadelphia, which only tops out at that figure if he hits all of his incentives, offers an indicator of what Clowney might get on the open market — likely an incentivized deal with a ceiling of perhaps $7 or $8 million, but almost certainly no more than $9 million.

Quality Free-Agent Edge Rushers Beyond Jadeveon Clowney Won’t Be Easy for Lions to Find

GettyFormer Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Preston Smith.

The Lions are in a better position than most franchises that only have one true edge-rushing threat considering theirs is Hutchinson, who was on a frantic pace of 30 sacks for the season before he broke his leg in Week 5.

That said, there is a reason that Davenport is getting the nod as the team’s second starter at defensive end — because there is no one else on the roster better or more reliable to do the job. That speaks to an alarming lack of depth at the position, which is all the more reason for the Lions to spend 20-25 percent of their remaining cap space to add talent and depth at a premier position of obvious need.

There are a handful of options available other than Clowney — including Preston Smith and DeMarcus Walker, most recently of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, respectively — but Clowney is probably the cream of the crop when it comes to remaining free agents at the defensive end position.

Chicago could potentially prove competition for a player like Clowney, while the Green Bay Packers are set at pass rusher after trading with the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons.