Inside The Star
In one year, the Dallas Cowboys defensive line corps has seen more roster turnover than any other position group.
Dallas has added ten defensive linemen to the roster dating back to the 2024 NFL Draft. With 14 players in total there, new additions make up over 70% of the defensive line room. That is rare for an organization like the Cowboys.
At defensive tackle, we see this even more poignantly. Aside from Osa Odighizuwa, the team’s third-round pick in 2021, and Mazi Smith, their first in 2023, every defensive tackle on the Cowboys roster was brought in within the last year.
https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1916245513982050514
Solomon Thomas, Earnest Brown IV, rookies Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote, Justin Rogers, and Denzel Daxon all have either no experience in Dallas or some practice-squad snaps.
The Cowboys invested heavily in Odighizuwa this off-season, but adding this much new talent at the position is a clear indication that Smith’s job could be in danger. Let’s discuss what this means for him and the two guys who could jump him on the depth chart.
Year three of the Smith experiment is on its way, and Dallas still has not seen the consistent production they thought they’d get in 2023.
Coming out of Michigan, Smith was one of the top defensive tackles in the draft class, and the idea was that he could be the permanent solution to the Cowboys’ running game problems defensively.
His huge frame and collegiate performance as a run-stuffer haven’t translated fully to the NFL, despite some flashes last season.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1631690826999910401
Smith, who will turn 24 this June, improved from his freshman to sophomore seasons, but not nearly to the extent that you feel ultra-confident about his standing heading into 2025. Four tackles for loss in 17 starts isn’t exactly something to party over.
Not to mention, would the Cowboys defensive line room have added so much new talent, specifically at Smith’s position, if they felt great about him?
Dallas’ seventh round in the draft was almost entirely dedicated to nose tackle.
How Mazi Smith looks in training camp and beyond will be one of the most important stories to watch for the Cowboys this summer. He could continue his upward trajectory, or get his job stolen once and for all.
Let’s make something clear: the Cowboys did not draft Toia simply as a depth/roster filler guy in the seventh round.
This kid is a legitimate 6’2″, 340 lb mammoth of a man on the defensive line. If he were drafted in the fourth round, nobody would have been surprised; Dallas got a steal in the seventh, and they intend to use it.
Toia was productive at UCLA as a nose tackle, and he has the energy and frame to stick in the NFL. He is the best competition Smith has had yet.
https://twitter.com/benjaminwhodge/status/1900166426456953129
Of course, we aren’t talking about a blue-chip prospect, but you can find players at this position late...
