Defensive sort out Mazi Smith had a quiet rookie season for the Dallas Cowboys after they chose him late within the first spherical of the 2023 NFL Draft. However a change in defensive coordinator means a contemporary begin for the previous Michigan star.
“Clearly, he was a excessive draft decide, and I heard that he kinda struggled just a little bit final 12 months,” Mike Zimmer stated of Smith, per The Athletic. “We’re gonna begin with the fundamentals, get him in an excellent stance, get him utilizing his fingers the suitable approach, getting his footwork the suitable approach, after which kinda go from there.
“We anticipate that he is gonna be an excellent participant like he was in school.”
The primary-team All-Massive Ten choice logged only one sack and 13 mixed tackles whereas showing in all 17 regular-season video games final 12 months. Dallas will particularly want extra manufacturing from the 6-foot-3, 337-pound Smith in 12 months 2, because it misplaced defensive linemen Dorance Armstrong, Jonathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore, amongst others, to free company.
The inside D-line may very well be one of many larger areas of concern for Zimmer, who’s in his second stint because the Cowboys DC (2000-06). As the pinnacle coach of the Vikings (2014-2021), his defenses ranked within the high 10 in factors per recreation for 5 consecutive seasons earlier than plummeting into the 20s in every of his last two years. With Dan Quinn now teaching the Commanders, Zimmer takes over a Cowboys unit that surrendered simply 299.7 whole yards and 18.5 factors per recreation final 12 months — each marks rating fifth within the NFL.
The Cowboys, in fact, are coming off their third consecutive 12-5 marketing campaign. However whereas their protection was a catalyst to successful the NFC East, it unraveled in a wild-card loss to the Packers this previous season. Dallas has only one postseason victory in Mike McCarthy’s 4 years on the helm.
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