Cowboys' biggest roster problem somehow just got worse ahead of Ravens matchup and it's their own fault
If there was someone on the NFL world that wasn't aware the Dallas Cowboys had a problem at defensive tackle, they should as heck found out if they watched the New Orleans Saints go off for 190 rushing yards, including five attempts that went for 10 yards or more. The Cowboys' tackles were consistently blocked successfully […]
If there was someone on the NFL world that wasn't aware the Dallas Cowboys had a problem at defensive tackle, they should as heck found out if they watched the New Orleans Saints go off for 190 rushing yards, including five attempts that went for 10 yards or more.
The Cowboys' tackles were consistently blocked successfully and pushed around, to the point where the team immediately made some moves during the week: They placed the allegedly uninjured Jordan Phillips on Injured Reserve and poached Carlos Watkins off of the Washington Commanders' practice squad.
Even though moving on from Phillips was the absolute right call (the film is quite bad), the Cowboys' defensive tackle problem still got worse than it already was ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
The big thing is Mazi Smith's injury: The second-year nose tackle had his back tighten up and he's missed back-to-back practices ahead of the big game. Head coach Mike McCarthy hinted at him having a chance to play on Sunday but two consecutive "Did Not Participate" on the injury report is never a promising sign.
Sure, Mazi has been far from what the Cowboys intended him to be when they used a first-round pick on him but if Smith can't go, the Cowboys will be running out of nose tackles, with the one guy on the roster being the recently signed Watkins, who played in Dallas in 2021 and 2022. No nose tackles is worse than mediocre nose tackles.
The Cowboys could also elevate UDFA rookie and international player Denzel Daxon from the practice squad if needed but it's tough to bet on an undrafted rookie to move the needle at all. For those who missed it, seventh-round draft pick Justin Rogers ended up on the Cincinnati Bengals after roster cuts in August.
Somehow, someway, the Cowboys will need better play from their defensive tackles against a physical Ravens team that will likely try to exploit the weaknesses Mike Zimmer's defense showed against the Saints. It's a tough ask for the defensive coordinator as there are legit questions about the personnel which brings me to my last point:
This problem is completely and unquestionably on the Cowboys front office. They neglected the defensive tackle position when they lost out on Johnathan Hankins in free agency, refused to bring in an outside free agent, didn't pick a defensive tackle in the NFL Draft, and then waited until training camp was halfway through to add Phillips and big-sized three-technique Linval Joseph, who has also struggled two weeks into the season.
They might deserve a pass for seemingly missing on Mazi Smith in the first round. But not adding any insurance policy player on Smith was their conscious decision. The Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves for their lack of talent in the defensive line.
Mike Zimmer’s odd comment adds fuel to theory that Cowboys got overconfident against the Saints
Otherwise, it makes no sense.
