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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Four boom-or-bust players from the NFC East

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 5/21/24

Considering the career of the average NFL player lasts 3.3 years, high draft picks are expected to perform immediately while later picks fight for spots. Without improvement, these players might not be in the league for much longer.

Dallas Cowboys | DT Mazi Smith

Smith was celebrated as the Cowboys’ first-round pick (26) in the 2023 NFL Draft but his rookie season didn’t go as planned. Despite appearing in all 17 games, he had just 13 tackles, one sack and three starts while splitting time with veteran Johnathan Hankins.

Coming out of college, Smith seemed more like a force of nature. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic even put him at the top of his annual College Football Freaks List, saying, “The 6-foot-3, 337-pound senior has rare power and agility. So rare, in fact, it’s hard to find the right superlative to begin with.”

But Smith’s weight dipped below 300 pounds last season and is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. That could be a problem, but with Hankins now in Seattle, Smith has the opportunity to live up to his draft spot.

Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer has yet to work on field with NT Mazi Smith, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Zimmer said he and Smith have discussed at what weight Smith wants to play. Zimmer declined to disclose number, but Smith is at 305 now and working toward it. pic.twitter.com/w7xtvHCiWi
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 14, 2024

New York Giants | QB Daniel Jones

Few outside Jones’ family were happy when the quarterback signed a four-year, $160M contract in 2023 and are even less pleased with his play since the deal. Jones missed 11 games last season, throwing two touchdowns and six interceptions with one win in six starts.

Jones may have a four-year deal, but it has no guaranteed money beyond 2024. New York can save $30M against the cap with a post-June 1 trade or release. The team would rather he play well, especially with first-round wide receiver Malik Nabers on the team. If he doesn’t, New York has no reason to keep him around.

Philadelphia Eagles | LB Nakobe Dean

Dean was a team captain, national champion and Butkus Award winner when the Eagles took him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. While a bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 231 pounds, nobody could have expected he’d play just 34 snaps as a rookie.

Once linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White left the team in 2023, Dean looked to make calls for the defense as a full-time starter. Unfortunately, a foot injury limited him to five games before going on the IR on Nov. 16.

Since then, the team signed former Pro Bowl linebacker Devin White from Tampa Bay and drafted Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the draft. With two cap-friendly years left on his rookie deal, Dean won’t be released, but a starting spot isn’t guaranteed.

Washington Commanders | WR Jahan Dotson

Washington hoped Dotson would do better than 520 yards and 5.5 touchdowns per year when they took him with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He did lead the team with seven scores in 12 games as a rookie but things haven’t gone so well since then.

Last season, Dotson played in all 17 games but had only four touchdowns. To be fair, Sam Howell’s inconsistent play had a lot to do with it, something Dotson believes rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels can fix.

"I don't know if I can say this, but that's the quarterback that I wanted," Dotson told reporters. "I was happy when we drafted him. I'm really looking forward to...furthering our relationship."

If Dotson can’t improve on his 2023 season, he can look forward to losing snaps to Luke McCaffrey, the team’s third-round pick in 2024.

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