2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention

2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention
2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention

2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention

The Dallas Cowboys were significantly more competitive this week against the Miami Dolphins, only losing the game at the very last second.

2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention
2023 Cowboys rookie report: Hunter Luepke draws plenty of attention

That meant a better overall effort from everyone, including the rookie class. Unfortunately, one of them found the spotlight for all the wrong reasons right at the start of the game. Let’s break it down.

iDL Mazi Smith

For as good as Mazi Smith was last week, he took a clear step back this week. He played on 26 defensive snaps, once again being second among interior defenders in total workload and most of them coming against the run. But unlike last week, Smith was frequently losing the leverage battle and getting pushed around a bit.

Smith also didn’t do much with his opportunities as a pass rusher. After getting his first career sack last week, Smith saw a healthy portion of pass rush reps, but came up with zero pressures.

In the context of his whole body of work this season, it’s easy to chalk this game up as a rare miss for Smith, but still frustrating to see this late in the year.

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