Can flameout first rounder convince Cowboys to extend $13 million, fifth-year option?

USA Today

a day ago

Will Mazi Smith survive Season No. 3 and earn a Season No. 4 in Dallas? Could he play so well they lock him in for a Season 5 when it's all said and done? With the way the first two campaigns have gone, a fifth-year option for the defensive tackle seems like a pipe dream at this point. Smith, playing under first Dan Quinn and then Mike Zimmer, has yet to find a way to turn his freakish athleticism into on-field pro production.
Technique and reaction time issues have been his downfall since being a shocking first-round draft pick for the club in 2023, and it will now be on Matt Eberflus and Aaron Whitecotton to unlock the puzzle that is his performance on the defensive line's interior. If they can't, then perhaps it's time for the Cowboys to cut bait and move in a different direction.
Rundown
Position: Defensive Tackle
Age: 26 (Week 1 age)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 337 pounds
Hometown: Kentwood, MI
High School: East Kentwood
College: Michigan (Film Study Video)
Draft: 2023 First-round pick (No. 26 Overall)
Acquired: 2023 Draft
Contract: Four-year contract (2023), $13.2 million
2025 Base Salary: $2 million (guaranteed) | Cap Hit: $3.6 million
Career Earnings: $8.7 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Whitecotton has his work cut out for him with Smith, but perhaps maturity will be the key ingredient in him being able to turn his early career around.
NFL teams have until early May to decide on placing the fifth-year option on a player, meaning the 2026 free agency period and draft will take place before Dallas has to declare their intentions. As Smith is not goin to reach any of the playtime incentives tied to a higher tender amount, he'll need to become a Pro Bowl player to garner something above the basic compensation level for a defensive tackle. That annually escalating number was $12.9 million for 2022 first rounder Jordan Davis.
Smith started all 17 games last season and ended up with the same number of sacks he did while starting three games as a rookie; three. Sacks aren't supposed to be an integral part to his game, but he's done nothing to solidify the Cowboys' run defense and keep the linebackers clean when he's on the field. He's morphed into a 300-plus pound under technique in some ways, a far cry from what was envisioned when he was taken out of Michigan.
Dallas did very little to provide him with competition this offseason, choosing a similar route to how they did with disappointing 2024 first rounder Tyler Guyton. Sixth-round pick Jay Toia, from UCLA, is pretty much the extent of what has been done to elevate the position, with 2023 UDFA Denzel Daxon returning as well.
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