Weeks before the 2025 NFL draft, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke at the league meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla., and put his roster on notice for what was to come.
“There’s no jobs being given out,” Schottenheimer said. “If we’re not creating competition, then I’m not doing my job, and the players need to understand that.”
While he did point out a guy like starting quarterback Dak Prescott isn’t in danger of losing his job, the wake-up call does find an appropriate fit in multiple positions on both sides of the ball: running back, linebacker, cornerback.
And defensive tackle.
In the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith to shore up the interior defensive line along with veteran Johnathan Hankins. In limited action in his rookie season, Smith did not live up to his first-round billing, including a three-game stretch that saw him start in place of Hankins and get overwhelmed in the run game against Buffalo, Miami and Detroit. In those games, Dallas allowed an average of 160.1 rushing yards per game and Smith combined for just three total tackles.
In 2024, he was thrust into a starting role after Hankins’ departed in free agency and he continued to show a slowed progression. His 35.9 run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus, was the worst on the roster over 17 games last season.
Heading into 2025, Smith will have competition in the form of seventh-round draft pick Jay Toia, who takes a wide 335-pound frame to the field to serve the one purpose that Smith has struggled with through two seasons.
“Stop the run,” Toia said about what he brings to the team. “I feel like that’s one of the biggest reasons I was drafted and that’s exactly what I’m going to do is stop the run. That’s my biggest strength.”
During his senior season at UCLA, Toia made 16 run stops in 12 games and was crucial in clogging up running lanes to set up the Bruins’ linebackers to make plays. As a result, UCLA linebacker Carson Schwessinger finished with 136 total tackles, the third-highest total in the country, and was drafted in the second round.
The hope is that a player like Toia on the Cowboys’ defense can allow for similar opportunities for Dallas’ linebacker corps.
“The way that [defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus] has come in and talked about playing defense, it’s we’re going to be running after the football,” vice president of player personnel Will McClay said. “We’re going to be playing aggressive, physical football and we’re going to ask guys to run and play fast.”
If Smith hits the field for his third season in the league with a similar approach to his first two, it could be Toia’s job to take. With his wide presence and proven run-stop ability, Toia has natural advantages despite being a seventh-round selection. While Smith did have optimism for pass rush upside when he was drafted, that hasn’t yet manifested, and a plethora of pass rush weapons now surround him on the defensive line.
Simply put, if Smith can’t stop the run in 2025, it will be Toia’s name we see in the middle of the defensive line moving forward.
This story was originally published May 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.