Dallas Cowboys Mailbag: Offensive Line, Mazi Smith and the First 4 Weeks

Every week we answer questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook Dallas Cowboys Players and other problems surrounding the team. So let's get started right away.

“What’s going on with the offensive line?”

(@sohc427 on Twitter)

Microphone: He starts with two rookies and plays right tackle, who is still somewhat stiff due to an ACL injury. To be fair, Tyler Guyton is getting better with every game, but he plays an extremely crucial position and faces the best pass rusher that any team in the NFL has to offer. Cooper Beebe is making good progress at center with his snapshot. So far that hasn't been a problem. What was a problem was his run blocking, where he was unable to overcome the competition. This is a new offensive line that will need time to build chemistry and facilitate the development of the two rookies. All is not lost here, but the learning curve for this unit is extremely steep.

Dana: This offensive line had some issues early this season, both in pass blocking and run blocking. However, this isn't really surprising considering C and LT (some of the most important positions on the offensive line) are rookies who had to move to those positions. Cooper Beebe (C) has done pretty well in the first four games, only allowing three pressures, and just played his second game against the New York Giants without allowing a single pressure. Tyler Guyton (LT), on the other hand, has had a much harder time keeping Dak Prescott's blind side protected while going up against some very talented pass rushers. He has allowed pressure 11 times so far this year and penalties have been a big problem for him.

While it can be frustrating to go through these growing pains with this offensive line, it is beneficial for these young players to gain experience. The longer these guys play together, the stronger the chemistry and trust becomes. Let’s hope the Cowboys can capitalize sooner rather than later.

“Will Mazi Smith become what we all hoped she would be, or is it too early to tell?”

(@Jessica Turner on Facebook)

Microphone: After a game against the New York Giants, I'm still hesitant to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne. What Smith did last week was nothing short of impressive, and what we saw is exactly what he was designed to do. If he starts stacking up games with performances like this in the next few weeks, then let's get the party started.

Dana: It's too early to say. However, what we have seen over the last five quarters of football from Mazi Smith has been promising. The final quarter of the game against the Ravens may have flipped the switch for Smith to realize and fulfill his potential. Although there are no moral victories in the NFL, Smith was able to build on his success and continued to make a big impact on the field last Thursday in New York. While his stats are pretty poor with three total tackles and one tackle for a loss, that doesn't tell you everything about how dominant he was. His ability to close gaps in the run game allowed his LBs to play more freely behind him, contributing to the strong run defense that only allowed 26 rushing yards.

In an article by Kyle Youmans on DallasCowboys.com, Mike Zimmer talked about how Smith is building on his successes.

“I think Mazi has a lot more confidence right now,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “When we got to training camp, I'm not sure he had that confidence, but I think it continued to grow. The more you catch him doing things right, the better he does things. Hopefully this week he’ll be walking around with his head held high and his chest out.”

If Smith is able to continue on this path, he will prove to everyone that he was worth the first-round pick.

“Good or bad, what surprised you most about the first month of the Cowboys’ season?”

(@MrEd315 on Twitter)

Microphone: The bad part that surprised me the most was the defensive line. There was always concern when this defensive line started the season, but seeing it falter so drastically is perhaps the worst and most disheartening surprise of the first four weeks. What makes it all surprising is the fact that the problems on the defensive line each week never got better or developed compared to the previous week's problems, and the injuries now only add to the depressing fact that they continue to struggle becomes. The surprise lies not in the fact that the defensive line struggled, but in how badly they struggled.

Dana: While there are many areas that I was hoping would be improved, I can't say that many of them are surprises. The lack of running game was well known. The difficulties of stopping the run were well known. The problems with the punishment were known. However, there is one issue that is new this year and was somewhat surprising: the pass rush's inability to generate sacks. The Cowboys' defense started well with six sacks in Week 1, but has failed since then with just two sacks in the three games. The Saints and Ravens eliminated the pass rush by running the ball, but the Cowboys defense also didn't have much success against Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.

The Cowboys are currently at 34 sacks this season, up from 46 last year. With DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons both missing time, it doesn't look too likely that they can reach 2023 levels.