Dallas Cowboys DL Depth Chart: Micah Parsons, Sam Williams, and Mazi Smith Usher in an Uber-Athletic Era

Dallas Cowboys fans do not like maize and blue. The wounds dealt by drafting Taco Charlton over T.J. Watt are still very fresh in the minds of Cowboys fans everywhere. But those same fans have been begging Dallas to address the middle of the defensive line, and they did just that this offseason.

But what does the rest of the Cowboys’ DL depth chart look like heading into 2023? Is there a chance that it is the most complete unit in the NFL?

Dallas Cowboys DL Depth Chart

There are likely better defensive lines out there from a starting standpoint. But the quartet of Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, Demarcus Lawrence, and Johnathan Hankins is very good.

The explosiveness of Parsons and Odighizuwa is complemented well by the sturdy nature of Hankins and Lawrence, especially as run defenders.

Parsons may be the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. Few players strike fear in the hearts of opposing blockers, passers, and ball carriers like Parsons. He’s the personification of “the missile” TikTok audio.

Lawrence hasn’t produced the steady pass-rushing production that many have wanted to see from someone making that amount of money, but he might be the league’s very best run defender on the edge.

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Hankins markedly improved the Cowboys’ run defense when he came over from Las Vegas last season. And while Odighizuwa hasn’t been able to replicate the first half of his rookie season yet, the pass-rush upside is looming within him.

How Good Could Sam Williams and Mazi Smith Be?

We are seeing NFL teams drafting and developing freak athletes on the defensive side of the ball in a way we have never seen before. And the athletes just seem to continue getting freakier on the defensive line. 250-pound athletes are running in the 4.4-second range these days while leaping 39 inches in the air.

Williams is in that ballpark. He weighed 261 pounds at the NFL Combine, and he ran a 4.46 40-yard dash. And even though he was practically cookie-dough raw as a prospect and rookie in the NFL, he still managed to find some production in a rotational role.

The other thing to consider from Year 1 to Year 2 is the offseason setup. Draft prospects spend most of their time preparing for a few drills at the NFL Combine so they don’t appear unathletic, even if their film suggests they’re a top-tier athlete. Now, Williams gets to focus on learning how to be a professional pass rusher off the edge.

While the sky seems to be the limit with Williams, a more realistic expectation for the young pass rusher is that he provides consistent pressure off the edge as a solid run defender. Maybe he eventually posts a few 10-12 sack seasons alongside Parsons once Lawrence’s days are numbered.

Smith has sky-high potential on the interior as well. Michigan didn’t ask him to be a pass rusher for them. His job was to occupy as much space as possible on the interior and make plays against the run.

It will likely take him some time to round into a difference-making pass rusher because he’s likely unrefined in that area technically. However, he showed the kind of burst and power in his hands that could make him a problem in the A and B gaps over the course of his career while also being a fantastic run defender.

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“It’s nice to see a Michigan guy get drafted in the first round, even though I’m a Buckeye,” Hankins said. “Dude is probably one of the strongest guys on the team. I’m definitely honored to be able to mentor him, show him the way, and try to help him develop.”

Smith will benefit from the danger Dallas possesses on the outside, the mentorship from Hankins, Dan Quinn’s presence, and the strength of the secondary.

His athleticism and strength make him one of the highest-ceiling players from the 2023 NFL Draft class relative to their position on the field.

The Rest of the Depth Chart

Dorance Armstrong has been a favorite of Jerry Jones since the team drafted him out of Kansas. Every summer, he has made sure to highlight the Jayhawk pass rusher.

“I’ve liked Armstrong … I think he’s absolutely … the trick is as a young player to get as much out of every day, every rep you can,” Jones said back in 2019. “He’s really impressed me.”

But that’s not even the end of it. Dante Fowler Jr. had six sacks for Dallas a season ago as a rotational player. Viliami Fehoko was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the team just signed Ben Banogu as another potential edge piece.

Neville Gallimore and Quinton Bohanna haven’t lived up to the expectations some fans and analysts set for them when their careers began in Dallas, but things could be a lot worse at the bottom of the roster.

Chauncey Golston is another name to watch. He was drafted as a defensive end, but he had outside-in versatility. However, he’s spent the majority of his short NFL career on the interior.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Golston gained 15-20 pounds and became an even more significant part of the interior rotation.