Dallas City News

Over the last three seasons, Osa Odighizuwa has gone from a third-round pick to one of the top players on the Cowboys’ defense. However, his individual success aside, the defensive tackle position hasn’t been a strength overall for Dallas. Heading into the 2024 training camp, there’s legitimate concern that the rest of the group will still be a weak point.

Odighizuwa hasn’t lit up the league like fellow 2021 draftee Micah Parsons, few have in the history of the NFL. While not the flashiest DT you’ll ever see, Odighizuwa has earned league-wide respect as a formidable pass rusher who shows up in advanced analytics. He certainly stands out in the modern history of the position for Dallas; the days of La’Roi Glover and Jay Ratliff are in the ever-more-distant past.

Unfortunately, Odighizuwa’s fellow DTs haven’t enjoyed similar success since he arrived. He was drafted on the tail end of Trysten Hill’s run, the 2019 second-round pick who flamed out after a bad rookie year and injuries. Neville Gallimore, a third-rounder in 2020, never developed into more than a backup. Other draft picks like Quinton Bohanna and John Ridgeway failed to contribute and veteran free agents like Gerald McCoy and Brent Urban were lost to injuries.

Johnathan Hankins, who joined Dallas midway through the 2022 season, has probably received the most praise of any other Cowboys DT over the last three years. But even he was limited; appearing on less than half of the defensive snaps as a run-stopper only. He did solid work when used but didn’t have enough of a workload to get excited about.

Recognizing the need to beef up the position, Dallas spent last year’s first-round pick on Michigan’s Mazi Smith. His rookie season didn’t reward this increased investment, but DT is not a position that often yields immediate results. Naturally, Smith’s development is a major talking point going into this year’s camp. It’s not just about justifying the first-round pick, but also because the Cowboys really need him to step up and strengthen the position.

Outside of Smith, other options for help at DT are dubious. It’s a seemingly thin group going into camp. Veteran Carl Davis, a 32-year-old journeyman who spent a couple of months on Dallas’ practice squad last year, has never been a full-time starter in the NFL. Rookie Justin Rogers was only a seventh-round pick and Denzel Daxon, our latest International Pathway player, went undrafted. That’s not to say they won’t surprise us; Jay Ratliff was a seventh-rounder himself. But counting on them to be immediate contributors is scary.

Thankfully, the nature of modern football mitigates some of the need at the position. The prevalence of the passing game allows for more creative formations and for bigger defensive ends like DeMarcus Lawrence, Chauncey Golston, and Villiami Fehoko to move inside at times. At the very least, it reduces the number of total snaps you require from the group.

That said, Mike Zimmer isn’t Dan Quinn and won’t utilize “small ball” formations to the same extent. Dallas’ new defensive coordinator tends to like bigger guys and having them play in more traditional roles, so that could shift some responsibility back to the defensive tackles from the last regime. But with that, Zimmer has also had a lot of success maximizing his DTs potential in Minnesota, Cincinnati, and his last run in Dallas.

Don’t be surprised if defensive tackle is a spot that the Cowboys address sometime over the rest of the summer. If they have an excess of assets at one position near final cuts, maybe another team will have a DT we can use. If nothing else, it could easily be a focal point for the waiver wire. Unless we’ve had extraordinary success with the Rogers and Daxon additions, it’s hard not see this as a need position coming out of camp.

Certainly, we’ve enjoyed watching Osa Odighizuwa’s success at defensive tackle since 2021. But it’s time to start finding someone else to praise. Mazi Smith’s growth is a key issue for several reasons, but the group’s development as a whole is no small matter for the Cowboys this season. We’ve talked plenty about Dallas’ issues against the run over the last few years, but more impact rushing the passer would always be welcome. If the DTs do have a good year, it will be a big feather in the cap of Mike Zimmer and his crew if they can help elevate the position.