Sportsnaut
Team owner Jerry Jones has helped the Dallas Cowboys make several good decisions over the years, which include selecting multiple All-Pros through the NFL Draft. Yet, not every move a team makes works out in the end. Jones and the Cowboys know this all too well.
Sometimes those selections come back to bite, especially when players selected after them go on to become elite talents. Again, it’s a common theme that every NFL general manager has to learn to cope with.
While the Cowboys have made many good decisions over the years, there are also some bad ones that stick out. Yet, the best teams recognize when a player isn’t working out early on, and they reward other more deserving players with the roster spot instead.
According to The Athletic’s Cowboys insider Jon Machota, 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith could already be at risk of losing his roster spot on the Cowboys. While he’s still just 24 years old, the former Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle only compiled 41 tackles (4 for loss) and one sack in 17 starts with the Cowboys last season.
Now entering his third year in the NFL, the Cowboys could very well be shopping Smith around, hoping another team will offer something like a high Day 3 selection for Smith. The 6-foot-3, 337-pound defensive lineman could still offer some untapped potential for a team willing to take a second chance on him.
As for Dallas, Smith’s starting spot has been reclaimed by free agent signee Solomon Thomas. The Cowboys also have Osa Odighizuwa, a third-round pick from 2021 who signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension with Dallas in March.
Related: Micah Parsons Trade Fits This NFC Contender’s M.O.
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