THE Detroit Lions have already handed their first assignment to newly acquired defensive end Za’Darius Smith.

After reaching a deal to add the veteran, coach Dan Campbell said Smith will be instructed to take the next two days to refresh before reporting to the team’s facility at Allen Park on Friday.

“We gave him a few days off,” Campbell said. “He’ll be back on Friday and we’ll see where things are.”

Black-smith32, was acquired Tuesday at the trade deadline. He had played in all nine games this season for the Cleveland Browns, who were entering their bye week when the deal was made.

Therefore, Campbell allows the defender to freshen up and use some of the time that was reserved for his former team before joining the team on Friday. Friday is expected to allow the Lions to make a decision on his status and role for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

“There’s definitely a place to use it.” We’ll see what happens when he returns on Friday. I thought it was important,” Campbell said. “He’s been in this league for a while, and they were in the middle of having their bye week when he got a call from us and everything was do. Let him do what he has to do, freshen up, come back here Friday.

Campbell expects Black-smith being embraced by the core of the team as they prepare for the final stretch of the regular season. He expects the move to fit well into Aaron Glenn’s defensive plan.

Additionally, he sees Smith as a good fit for the team culture.

“I think our guys are pretty good – they trust us enough to know that whether we move or not, it’s for the best of the team. They know where we’re at,” Campbell said. “The core of this team, we’ve been together for four years. I think they’re good with, “Hey man, if we bring someone in, we need him, he’ll be fine.” If not, then we are good with what we have, these are our guys and we go to war. I know they will adopt Za’Darius. It will adapt to what we do, to who we are. I know that. The guys will love it, and I think it will go well.

THE LionsThe coach, as well as the front office, have always opposed the idea that there is only one player left to win a championship. As a result, they don’t view Smith as a player capable of pushing them to the top. Rather, we expect him to compliment all the players around him.

“You never know, and that’s why you have to be careful with ‘one player away.’ I don’t think that necessarily exists,” Campbell said. “Now can this help and can it balance things out? Yes. But you do the “one player out” thing and all of a sudden the only player out is injured. I think it can balance things out and take some pressure off in some areas. And that helps us spread the load across this defense.

Campbell spoke to Black-smith after the trade, and shared that he was impressed by his initial conversation as well as what he heard about the player across the league.

“He was excited. He’s excited to be here, he’s ready to go. He said everything you want to hear,” Campbell said. “He’s going to give it his all and he wants to help us win. And whatever we ask him to do, he will do it.