Cowboys Mailbag:Our ILB are way overrated. They seem to never come up with a big stop and their cove

Would you rather see the Cowboys add a cornerback or running back before the start of the season? 

My biggest question/concern is that Mazi Smith is being written off as a Day 1 bust, but he will now be dealing with his third defensive coordinator in three years with each having a different concept on the 1-tech position. Stopping the run and applying pressure to force turnovers seem right up Mazi's alley. Am I not seeing the big picture? Is another year under another coach too much to ask of Mazi? 

With all the talk we've heard about the running game (again), how run heavy do you really see the Cowboys being this year? Knowing Dak Prescott is at his best with a strong rushing game, I'm just curious to see what you all think? 

People seem focused on re-signing Micah Parsons, but what about DaRon Bland, who will need a new deal in 2026, and possibly Tyler Smith? Both could command around $20 million annually. And now there's George Pickens to worry about as well. You can't keep everybody, so how do the Cowboys manage this? Who stays and who goes?

How important is a good start for the Cowboys this year? In 2024, they missed the playoffs and had a losing record. Do they need to get off to a good start to get confidence and momentum after last season's struggles? Or does the previous season have no effect on the next season?

At this point, what differences are you seeing between the Dan Quinn defensive scheme and the Matt Eberflus scheme?

One of the unfortunate traits of the last four years has been a lack of discipline leading to a large amount of penalties, particularly pre-snap. Any indication the new head coach and his culture change will improve this area? 

A lot of attention has gone to the rookies and George Pickens as the sparkling new addition to the receiver room. But which veteran player has flown under the radar and will surprise us in a positive way this season?

Should we be adding some QB runs to allow Dak Prescott to use his legs more this year?

Every year we hear about this player or that player who needs to up his game. What I would like to know is which position group as a whole needs to improve the most this year for the Cowboys to have a better chance at success? 

With Jake Ferguson coming off somewhat of a down season, can you see Luke Schoonmaker challenging him for the starting tight end position? 

How exactly does one special teams coach differ from another? It seems like from watching the games that there isn't much difference from one unit to the next. What might Nick Sorensen do differently than John Fassel?