Let's take a step back from the Micah Parsons mayhem, shall we? After all, training camp is chugging right along and the Dallas Cowboys are approaching their first joint practice of the summer.
While there is a lot to be excited about, Mazi Smith continues to be his own storyline. Cowboys fans lost a lot of the hope they had in a potential Smith breakout season when it was revealed the team plans to deploy him at both the one- and three-technique position.
Matt Eberflus wants Smith to get upfield rather than be a two-gap enforcer. It's hard to think this experiment will end well since it didn't under Dan Quinn, who asked Smith to be a three-tech as a rookie. Well, the latest buzz from camp suggests rookie Jay Toia is pushing for his spot.
Cowboys rookie Jay Toia is coming for Mazi Smith's starting job on the defensive line
According to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, Toia has been getting some burn with the starting defensive on a consistent basis. Hoyt added that Brian Schottenheimer has been impressed by Toia's pad level and circled him as one player who has given Cooper Beebe problems with his strength.
Beebe has been the most dominant player at Cowboys camp that nobody is talking about. That Toia is making life difficult for him speaks volumes about his level of play.
"With Toia moving up, that means there’s been less snaps with the starters for former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who played often with the second team defense on Thursday. The Cowboys want to have a rotation on the defensive line. Right now, it looks like Toia is playing himself into a bigger chunk of it," Hoyt wrote.
This obviously is not a good sign for Smith. While the 24-year-old has had some nice moments in camp, those have been overshadowed by the occasional snap of him getting blown off the ball to ignite a big running play.
Based on the reporting coming out of Oxnard, reporters have been more impressed by Toia than Smith. That is a problem.
Even June signing Perrion Winfrey is making noise on a more consistent basis. If the Cowboys want to deploy a deep rotation on the interior defensive line, Winfrey is playing himself into that.
That isn't to say Smith won't have a role. But he had a chance to really grab the bull by the horns this summer and run away with a starting role. While some of that may be attributed to his position change, Toia is gaining some serious ground in the competition.