Whether there will be an addition to the unit in free agency and/or the 2024 NFL Draft is to-be-determined, but it wouldn’t change what’s going to be required of players like MaziSmith, Chauncey Golston, Sam Williams, and Junior Fehoko— or those on the fringes of the roster such as Durrell Johnson and Carl Davis, who will be clawing to retain a roster seat all summer.
Smith, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, has the talent and strength to be a dominant force at nose tackle, but a drop in weight as a rookie and a slowed get-off hamstrung his performance, and it will be paramount that, without Hankins, Smith execute a 180-degree turn under the tutelage of Mike Zimmer. The run defense will all but depend on it, along with Golston helping Smith and Odighizuwa as both a run defender and pass rusher from the inside.
Golston is entering a contract year, and that should provide added motivation to perform while many signs pointing to the 26-year-old getting plenty of opportunities to try and do so — having shown promise on more than one occasion behind the now-departed veterans.
It’ll be a steeper slope to climb for Fehoko than that of Golston, considering the former didn’t earn any burn as a rookie last season, but that won’t be the case in Year 2. A fourth-round pick last April, Fehoko has a motor that won’t quit and simply needs to refine his technique, though it’ll be interesting to see if Zimmer views him more as a 3-tech (right of center) or support on the edge.
And then there is Sam Williams, who now has a clear path to a lot more reps with the exit of Fowler, and Williams’ talent is as unique as it is aggressive. He’s proven capable in stopping the run, more than capable in rushing the passer and an ability to wreak havoc on special teams, but he’ll need to find balance between his aggression and drawing untimely penalties.
