Cowboys first-rounder reaches new low with Week 1 inactive report

The decision suggests Dallas has come to a painful realization: It's better without its 2023 first-round pick.

Kenny Clark addition made Smith expendable

Facing running back Saquon Barkley, the 2024 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, on Thursday, the Cowboys could seemingly use as many defensive linemen as possible.

With Smith heading to the inactive list, it speaks to the team's confidence in Clark, who Dallas acquired from the Green Bay Packers in last week's Micah Parsons trade.

Per Stats Perform, the Cowboys allowed 5.1 yards per carry without Smith on the field last season — compared to 4.7 yards with him on the field. Overall, Dallas ranked No. 30 in rushing yards per attempt (4.8). 

Meanwhile, the Packers were better against the run with Clark — allowing 3.9 yards per carry — than without (4.1).

Smith wasn't much of a factor in stopping the run, and his production was even more troubling in passing situations, finishing 2024 with one sack and three quarterbacks. 

The Cowboys allowed 1.2 yards more per pass play with Smith on the field than off. The defense's pressure splits with and without Smith are even more jarring:

With Smith inactive, that leaves just one member of the team's 2023 draft class on the Week 1 roster, second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, selected in the third round, is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. 

The Cowboys have selected seven players who've gone on to reach a Pro Bowl since 2020, so it isn't as though the team has a pattern of draft whiffs. But for a team with significant financial investments to quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in future seasons, missing on those affordable, cost-controlled 2023 picks is debilitating from a team-building standpoint.

As a first-round pick, Smith should have been a lynchpin along the defensive line. Instead, he might already have one foot out the door.