Blogging The Boys
While the dust is still settling from the Dallas Cowboys’ roster moves, one decision that appears etched in 2025 stone is the return of defensive tackle Mazi Smith. This has drawn criticism throughout sectors of Cowboys Nation, but should it really have come as a surprise? Smith being a former first-round pick does matter, and the team’s history of dealing with them shows how this third season should’ve never really been in doubt.
Frustration with where Smith is at this point in his career is natural and appropriate. Rest assured, the front office and coaching staff share it. But even with an overhauled defensive staff under Matt Eberflus, the notion that Smith might not make the roster ahead of just his third NFL season was shaky at best. When we discussed the biggest surprises from Dallas’ recent roster moves, Smith’s continued presence didn’t make the list.
Things got especially hot against Smith during a brief period on Tuesday when it was reported that DT Perrion Winfrey was released. This turned out to be false, but it set off a wave of criticism of how Smith would make the team over one of the standout performers from the summer. Others have suggested that seventh-round rookie Jay Toia is more deserving of a roster spot than Smith, despite not having a particularly strong camp or preseason himself.
In the end, all three made the initial roster along with veterans Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas. We’ll see if the Cowboys add more DT talent from trades or free agency in the coming days, and who gets cut to make room for them. That could bring us back to this conversation of Smith versus Toia or Winfrey quickly.
The level of first-round frustration we’ve reached with Mazi Smith is rare in Dallas. We hit on these picks far more often than not. By the time they’ve reached their third and fourth seasons, the debate is usually about when to give them their second contracts as opposed to whether or not they’ll even get one. Tyler Smith, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, Byron Jones, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant; it’s been a good run. Even Leighton Vander Esch, whose only sins were health-related, shouldn’t fall into the bust category.
But yes, and their names are already coming to your mind, there have been some failures along the way. But even in the worst of those cases, they all made the roster in their third seasons. Let’s run through them.
The closest thing we’ve seen to the Mazi Smith situation in a long time, Charlton probably doesn’t make the roster in his third season if not for injury and other issues at defensive end. He didn’t last long, getting released in mid-September to make room for Robert Quinn’s return from suspension.
What makes Charlton different from Smith is that there was a publicly known rift between him and the coaching staff, particularly defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli....
