While the Cowboys weren't exactly quiet during free agency this spring, there is still plenty of work to do for this team that finished 7-10 in 2024.
Not only did they add some key players in free agency and via trades, but they also re-signed some of the core depth as well.
Still, there are other guys on this team that must take that next step in order for the Cowboys to be successful in 2025.
Today, we'll continue the Next Man Up series with defensive lineman Mazi Smith.
- Name: Mazi Smith
- Position: Defensive line
- Experience: 2 years
- Games Played/Starts: 34/20
- Years Left on Contract: 2 + 1-year team option
- How Acquired: 26th-overall pick (2023 NFL Draft)
- Key Stat: 17 starts in 2024 (career high)
The Past: There was no shortage of pressure heaped upon the shoulders of Mazi Smith when he was given the nod as the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2023. It's not simply because he was the first-round pick which, in and of itself, comes strapped to a mountain of pressure to prove you're worth it, but the last time Dallas used a first-round pick on a player from Michigan, the Taco didn't end up passing the smell test. There's also the fact Smith was the first defensive tackle taken in that respective round by the Cowboys since Russell Maryland in 1991 — Maryland going on to become a legend.
The Present: Smith is at least beginning to gain momentum heading into Year 3, earning 14 more starts in Year 2 than in Year 1, a starter for every single game in 2024, and that's promising when also looking at his improving level of play at a critical position. The retention of Osa Odighizuwa can only help continue Smith's development to the left of the impactful 3-tech, as will more and more reps versus simply playing a rotational role as he did for Dan Quinn in 2023. Smith sits atop the NT1 throne yet again for the season to come, the elder statesman (as odd as that may sound) at the position with Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon working for reps behind him ahead of this year's NFL Draft.
The Future: Speaking of defensive coordinators, Smith is about to learn under Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys' third defensive coordinator in Smith's three NFL seasons, and how the former Wolverine adjusts to it in a pivotal year of his early NFL journey will speak volumes. It goes without saying there's an inherent challenge with learning a new system and list of coaching expectations for a third year in a row, but Smith has no choice but to; and if he can take all of the positives he's learned from his time under Quinn and Mike Zimmer and weld them to what Eberflus is going to teach him, this could indeed be a potential breakout season for Smith.
