It’s hard to find a position with more questions on the Dallas Cowboys’ current roster than at defensive tackle. While the unit has some concerns outside Osa Odighizuwa, the nose tackle spot is a significant problem.

Dallas will be leaning on Mazi Smith, a 2023 first-round selection who struggled as a rookie and has a lot to prove in year two. Behind him is a veteran who has hardly seen the field in Carl Davis, a seventh-round pick in Justin Rogers, and an undrafted free agent in Denzel Daxon.

Of the three reserves, Rogers is best suited to force his way onto the field, and as Patrik Walker of the team’s official website pointed out, he has a lot of potential. He also said D-tackle remains the greatest need, a sentiment shared by every writer on staff as they looked ahead to the 2024 campaign.

“The success at DT will be predicated upon the stellar play of Osa Odighizuwa and …? Thus, my point. Mazi Smith is pressured to have a breakout season and so is Chauncey Golston. Justin Rogers is a rookie late-rounder with lots of potential but a large learning curve, and the same applies to undrafted rookie Denzel Daxon, while Carl Davis hopes to fight his way onto the roster.” — Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Rogers looks the part, standing just over 6-foot-2 and weighing 330 pounds. He also knows how to keep his pad level low and win with leverage — while not being afraid of using his hands against opposing offensive linemen.

He spent three years with the Kentucky Wildcats, where he had 60 tackles and three sacks. Rogers transferred to Auburn for his final season in the NCAA and added another 17 tackles and one sack.

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Rogers didn’t fill up the stat sheet and isn’t going to put up highlight-reel plays. What he can do, however, is clog up the running lanes, something he did often in the SEC which is no easy task. For the Cowboys, that’s exactly what they need after losing Johnathan Hankins in free agency.

It’s never a guarantee that seventh-round picks make the roster but Rogers feels like a lock since he’s exactly what this defensive line needs. He could also be in for an impactful role as a rookie, especially early as Mazi Smith is still working his way back to full health following shoulder surgery in the offseason.

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As North Texas grows, Dallas should take the lead in mobility and public transportation. That means staying committed to Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

Instead, Dallas is leading in the wrong direction. The city has talked about using DART funds to cover massive pension obligations. Similar talks continued at a Government Performance and Financial Management Committee meeting last month, when council members approved a legislative priority to “seek restructuring of DART sales tax contribution.”

The full City Council will discuss the proposal and vote on it this fall. Council members didn’t commit to much, and deliberately left the language open-ended so it can be fleshed out in later discussions.

Still, we don’t like where this conversation is going. Plano’s and Rowlett’s city councils have already passed resolutions in support of cutting sales tax funding to DART.

Dallas-Fort Worth’s population is projected to keep growing by huge margins for the next couple of decades, adding millions of jobs in the process, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Not only can DART continue to help drive economic development as it has for decades, it can also help move a growing workforce while reducing congestion on already crowded roads, making the region more competitive. And for those without access to cars, DART’s services are critical.

Dallas residents depend on DART far more than those from neighboring suburbs, with over 70% of riders hailing from the city, according to a May memo. How DART is treated around the horseshoe should reflect that.

Make no mistake, DART has work to do. During the pandemic, between fiscal years 2019 and 2021, DART’s ridership nearly halved, down from just over 70 million to about 36 million, according to a DART spokesperson. Since then, ridership has crept back upward, with DART providing around 50 million rides across all modes of transportation last fiscal year.

Total ridership at the end of this fiscal year is projected to be about 58 million, a DART spokesperson said. Reaching that number would represent good progress, but would still leave room for improvement.

From the 26-mile Silver Line that will stretch from Plano to DFW International Airport to added security, cleaning crews and a system modernization program that will see 95 light rail vehicles and 522 buses replaced, among other upgrades, DART has invested millions over the last few years to boost ridership and improve service. Those efforts appear to be working and deserve time to play out.

The answer to DART’s troubles should not be disinvestment but instead to work with the agency on long-term solutions. Billions have been invested in DART over the years. Treating that as a sunk cost would be incredibly shortsighted.

DART and its member cities can still help each other grow, and Dallas can set an example. In a city committed to an equality of opportunity DART can help provide, that should be a no-brainer.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com

In what should be the final official announcement of the day for the Dallas Mavericks, they’ve officially completed the sign-and-trade to acquire Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. And it is a doozy.

Thompson to the Mavericks completes a sign-and-trade involving six teams, 20% of the NBA, in what becomes the trade with the most teams ever involved in NBA history, including the Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Most of the teams included in this had to make the trade this way for new cap constraints and to acquire trade exceptions.

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The Mavericks acquire Thompson and a 2025 second-round pick, which will help make up for the one sent to Detroit in the Tim Hardaway trade while sending Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets. On top of acquiring Green, the Hornets get Reggie Jackson from the Denver Nuggets along with two second-round picks. They initially acquired three but one was re-routed to Golden State as part of this trade. Denver received cash and salary relief by trading Jackson. The Warriors re-routed that re-routed pick from Charlotte to acquire Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. The 76ers and Timberwolves received future second-round picks.

Thompson agreed to join the Mavericks on a 3-year, $50 million deal and chose Dallas over the LA Lakers, as he believes the Mavs are closer to winning a championship. He’s not entirely wrong as the Mavs are coming off a run to the NBA Finals. He’s one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and sits sixth all-time in made three-pointers. Should he still shoot the ball at a high level, he’ll provide spacing to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic that they haven’t had in Dallas.

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