The Dallas Cowboys missed the playoffs in 2024 and may make some big changes to their team to make sure they can get back to contending next season.
One of the biggest disappointments of the Cowboys’ season was the failure of Mazi Smith to become an elite player. He struggled as a rookie as a rookie as well but did not prove that he could actually live up to his status as a first-round pick. FanSided’s Luke Norris urged the Cowboys to move on from him this offseason.
“In his two seasons with Dallas, the Michigan alum has recorded just 54 total tackles, seven tackles for a loss, six QB hits, and a pair of sacks,” wrote Norris. “Those aren’t numbers you want to see from a first-round pick. Smith’s 34.8 overall PFF grade this past season ranked 117th among 118 interior defenders meeting a minimum snap-count requirement, and his 34.7 overall grade over the last two years ranks 275th out of 279 defensive linemen with 200 or more snaps during that stretch. Again, that’s not what you want to see from a first-round pick.”
The Cowboys selected Smith as the 27th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has started 20 games and had plenty of opportunities to become a successful player, but he is looking like a clear miss by the Cowboys. He has just six pressures since joining the Cowboys.
Although Smith is still young, the Cowboys cannot wait around for him to become an elite player like they had hoped. They have invested a great deal of money into being a team that can win now and Smith is not helping that cause.
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