Rookie review: Fresh start for first-rounder Mazi Smith under new DC Zimmer

Will the Cowboys be able to depend more on Mazi Smith in 2024 in your opinion?

It is no secret that the Dallas Cowboys will be relying on multiple players from their upcoming 2024 draft class to make an immediate impact if they hope to repeat as NFC East champions. That notion that has only added to the overall negativity towards the team this offseason thanks to their lack of impact from the previous rookie class. The Cowboys overcame their entire draft class taking a virtual redshirt season by seeing third- and fourth-year players like Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb continue to ascend and stake their claim as franchise cornerstones, but also saw trade acquisitions Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore become dependable starters. The Cowboys have sat on their hands through this offseason’s trade market and most of free agency – adding only linebacker Eric Kendricks – putting the future of the roster in the hands of not only this month’s draft picks, but much of the 2023 class they’ll be counting on rapid development from.

With this bold decision conveniently lining up with the final year of Mike McCarthy’s contract, it is difficult to project how any recent or future draft pick will fit in Dallas long term right now. As the coach responsible for three straight 12 win seasons, the hope is that players like Mazi Smith, DeMarvion Overshown, and Jalen Brooks can step up at positions of need enough to keep this team at least in the playoff picture.

Starting with the 26th overall pick in Mazi Smith, we’ll be looking at the entire Cowboys 2023 draft class to see what needs to change for them in year two.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

When the Cowboys drafted Smith in the first round a year ago, it marked the first time they selected a defensive tackle with their top pick since Trysten Hill in 2019. Right now, the best thing any Cowboys fan can say about Smith is they hope he works out better than the Hill selection did. The move may have been surprising from a position standpoint, but the Cowboys are no stranger to having a successful regular season and carrying that optimism into the draft in a way that persuades them to pass on strengthening already talented position groups that make an impact for more “luxury” picks. Dallas saw their run defense become an Achilles heel in the playoffs for the second straight year to Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, and responded by taking the run-stuffing prospect Smith out of Michigan.

If the 2023 season was going to be Dan Quinn’s last in Dallas for any reason – the Cowboys preferred choice being a deep playoff run followed by Quinn departing for a head coaching job elsewhere – it made sense to give the coach that had so much influence on past drafts the final missing piece at a position group the team had devalued for too long. Instead, it was potentially Quinn’s influence on Smith that set him back and kept the Cowboys front seven as a liability against the run without LB Leighton Vander Esch. Another horrid performance against the Green Bay Packers’ run game and Aaron Jones sent Dallas to a stunning first-round exit and Quinn elsewhere in the NFC East to coach the Washington Commanders.

Smith was drafted as a 320-pound “bucket of dirt” tackle that was not only hard to move off the ball, but flashed the ability to push the pocket and make plays down the line as well. Seemingly to complement the Cowboys deep arsenal of pass rushers on last year’s roster, the Cowboys had Smith slim down to 295 pounds to stay on the field in these hybrid looks Quinn lived and died with, but the results were not there. Now, with several of these edge rushers like Dante Fowler and Dorance Armstrong following Quinn to Washington, the Cowboys are left with needs across the entirety of their defensive line. Veteran Johnathan Hankins was their most consistent interior player against the run last year, and though he remained an option to bring back a few weeks into free agency, he signed with the Seahawks in March.

Smith never played more than half of the team’s defensive snaps in any game last season, his high water mark being 32 in a Week 15 loss at the Bills – a game the Cowboys conceded a season high 266 rushing yards. If his lower playing weight at the NFL level was supposed to help with one of his developmental needs out of Michigan, getting off the ball quicker and with better pad level, the change had little impact there while also mitigating Smith’s ability to make up for his speed and pad height with brute strength.

To say Mazi Smith is starting his sophomore season with a clean slate is an understatement. Experienced defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is the new man in charge of quickly picking up the pieces Quinn left behind, and bringing in new ones through the draft where the Cowboys have gotten to work visiting with six linebackers in their pre-draft process so far. The Cowboys are sending a pretty clear message they’re trying to retool the linebacker position on the fly and likely play a more traditional style of defense under Zimmer.

The Cowboys played an attacking style of defense under Quinn that sent pass rushers from everywhere, another layer to the potential Smith had in year one at defensive tackle. Tying up blockers that can’t reach the second level and help on rushers like Parsons and Fowler made the pick even more intriguing, but the most important trait to keep Smith on the field consistently wasn’t there when it came to deterring teams from running the ball right at Dallas. If Zimmer plans on using Parsons as well as DeMarcus Lawrence as more traditional defensive ends on the line of scrimmage, it should allow the rest of the front seven to key against the run as their first read and not just in passing on the way to the quarterback.

Eternal-optimist and Cowboys GM Jerry Jones mentioned this potential change of philosophy and scheme under Zimmer as his reason for believing the team is already better off against the run going into the 2024 season. Jones did not mention Smith or any defensive lineman specifically here, but with improving along the line of scrimmage being a point of emphasis under McCarthy since his first year, the team will undoubtedly need Mazi Smith to make his presence felt a lot more in year two.

The big nose tackle has even bigger shoes to fill when it comes to first round picks under McCarthy playing their way into building-block starters, but with the entire 2023 class having a down rookie year it would be good for the entire morale of the team if they start to get things turned around with the highest pick first. The clear path for Smith to play more snaps is there, the Cowboys have a breakout defensive tackle in Osa Odighizuwa to pair with him, and a new DC that gives Smith an entirely new outlook going into the season. McCarthy told reporters that Smith is “definitely” a player that needs to take “that big second-year jump” at the league meetings in March, where he also announced the DT had offseason shoulder surgery that will likely keep him out of OTAs and minicamp.

“[Smith] lost some weight,” he said. “Last year was a big adjustment for him so I think there’s a lot that goes into the transition that these guys make. He’s not immune to that. I think now he’ll have a better plan and we need to help him with that plan to be at the proper weight and maintain it.”

As things currently stand before this year’s draft, the collective expectation for this Cowboys team seems to be that just reaching the playoffs and having an opportunity to show they can hold up defensively in the biggest games would be a win. If we as fans are supposed to believe the internal expectation is that not only a playoff berth but sustained success is still the goal, Smith will have to make a difference in helping this team set a new tone up front defensively.

The trenches on the opposite side of the ball have been under the microscope more this offseason with Tyron Smith leaving behind a need at left tackle and Tyler Biadasz at center, but the Cowboys are seemingly also asking a lot from the unproven Smith to turn things around on the defensive line right now too.