Dallas Cowboys fans rejoiced when the team traded for Jordan Phillips and signed Linval Joseph after preseason because they did not know what else to do. After all, it marked the Cowboys' first moves to address the interior defensive line all offseason.
They drafted Justin Rogers in the seventh round in April, but he failed to make the 53-man roster and swiftly signed to the Bengals' practice squad.
While Phillips and Joseph weren't likely to make a transformative impact, they at least gave Mike Zimmer experienced backups behind three-tech Osa Odighizuwa and nose tackle Mazi Smith. Through two games, it is evident that neither Phillips nor Joseph belongs on the field.
Smith wound up on the ground multiple times against the Saints, but he has easily been Zimmer's best interior defender. That is not saying much, but it's something. With Phillips on IR with a wrist injury, the Cowboys need a big game out of Smith on Sunday against the Ravens.
Well, that may be easier said than done after Smith was seen walking off the field with head athletic trainer Jim Maurer early in Wednesday's practice. According to the Cowboys' first injury report of the week, Smith is dealing with a back injury. CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs also did not practice, but there isn't any concern about their status. Smith is a different story.
Something to keep an eye on. DT Mazi Smith had his back tighten up in practice. Cowboys need their tackles this week. Ceedee and Diggs I’m told should be ok #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/uL8z2MtD5z
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 18, 2024
Cowboys' DT Mazi Smith leaves practice with back injury
Talk about compounding an already-huge problem. The Cowboys have gotten arguably the worst interior defensive line play of any team through two weeks.
Among interior defenders who have played at least 30 snaps, Smith (28.9), Phillips (29.6) and Joseph (31.4) are the second, third and fourth-lowest-graded players at the position, respectively, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That is hard to do and yet, here we are.
While Smith hasn't covered himself in glory to start the year, the Cowboys have to hope his injury isn't anything serious. As the starting nose tackle, Smith has played more snaps than Joseph (37) and Phillips (34). Only Micah Parsons, Odighizuwa, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston have played more snaps on the defensive line.
A first-round pick last year, Smith didn't put out the best tape in Week 2, but he had a strong game against the Browns. He didn't get many snaps against the run, but he showed good explosion off the snap and was powerful on contact. He still needs to work on shedding, but it was a sign for optimism.
Long story short is that the Cowboys need him out there. They signed Carlos Watkins to the active roster after placing Phillips on IR, which Phillips was not happy about. Given how shorthanded Dallas is at defensive tackle, Watkins might have to play a bigger role than expected if Smith isn't able to go.
This injury is the last thing Zimmer needs with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry coming to town.