Defensive tackle is not typically a position prioritized by the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has rarely devoted much money or top draft resources to address the inside of their defensive line and have historically prioritized defensive positions like CB, LB, and DE.
According to figures from Over the Cap, their $14,450,752 dedicated to the IDL in 2023 is the sixth lowest in the NFL. Of the five teams who spent less than Dallas, only the Ravens made the postseason last year.
It’s been well-documented that Mazi Smith, Dallas’ 2023 first rounder, was the first DT the organization has drafted in the first round in over 30 years. This not only makes the pick itself surprising but signals a possible change in philosophy within the front office.
It wasn’t as if Dallas had been completely neglecting the position over the past three decades. They devoted good money to players like La’Roi Glover, Jay Ratliff and Tyrone Crawford. They just didn’t treat it with the same ferocity as other positions and recently experienced a few more misses than hits in their player development.
If Smith lives up to his billing and reaches his lofty potential, he may change that trend for the Cowboys and ultimately provide some significant bang for the buck.
Position value is strong
Surplus value (the difference between rookie contract value and actual performance value) isn’t just a great way to determine which positions warrant an early investment in the draft; it provides a snapshot as to how NFL teams value certain positions.
PFF determined in 2022, at the highest tier of performance, the DT position is the third-highest compensated position in the NFL, slotting in just behind elite QBs and elite EDGEs.
It’s a figure supported by a handful of extensions signed around the NFL this offseason which doled out a 4-year/$90 million deal to Dexter Lawrence, a 4-year/$94 million deal to Jeffery Simmons and a 4-year/$90 million deal to Daron Payne (per OTC).
What are notable in the findings are values for DT drop off disproportionately sharply compared to other positions. Elite DTs are the third most valuable, while second tier DTs just barely edge out LB for the fourth-least valuable.
The key to cashing in on value is having an elite-tiered DT because “good” isn’t good enough.
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Pass-rush element is critical
A top-tier DT in today’s NFL can’t be one-dimensional. The best run-stuffer in the NFL is inevitably capped in value. It’s a passing league where damage is achieved more frequently through the air, as the success rate and EPA easily confirm.
League wide, NFL teams are averaging 33.3 passing attempts per game compared to just 27.3 rushing attempts per game. Great DTs have to provide pressure.
Run-stuffing specialists like Johnathan Hankins have value. The Cowboys were a different team with him on and off the field. Not only did he help stabilize the middle of the line with his own production, but his presence appeared to help his teammates’ production as well.
Yet, for as good as he was in 2022, he only garnered a 1-year/$1,317,500 contract after testing the market this past offseason. The pass-rush element is critical for building value at the DT position
Smith’s value with the Cowboys will hinge on his ability to be a pass-rushing presence from the inside. It’s that simple.
Lawrence (7.5 sacks/36 pressures), Payne (11.5 sacks/25 pressures) and Simmons (7.5 sacks/21 pressures) all developed into interior pressure players. They were already borderline dominant against the run but the pass-rush element catapulted them to elite ranks.
It’s the pass-rush that will ultimately determine whether Smith gives them elite value or something much, much less. There isn’t much in between.
Based on post-draft comments from the front office and coaching staff, pass-rushing expectations are high for the first-round rookie. They know all-too-well just being a run-stuffer isn’t enough in today’s NFL.
If Smith can develop into the player they expect him to be, he could give the Cowboys extreme value at one of the NFL’s highest paid positions.
Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire