The Dallas Cowboys didn’t stick to the proverbial script when it came to their 2025 draft class. The team had clear needs, but instead of trying to find the best available player at those key positions, Dallas simply took the best available player, needs be ignored. The team waited until the seventh round to select a nose tackle.
That NT was UCLA’s Jay Toia, but a year later, the entire scene has changed. Matt Eberflus is out, and Christian Parker has transformed the defensive front to a 3-4, changing the roles of the players in the locker room. Whether that’s a good or bad thing for Toia, who barely saw the field as a rookie, remains to be seen. Answers will be found during 2026 training camp.
Rundown
Position: Defensive Tackle
Age: 27
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 342 pounds
Hometown: Inglewood, CA
High School: Grace Brethren (Simi Valley, CA)
College: UCLA (Highlight Video)
Draft: 2025, Sixth-round pick No. 217
Acquired: 2025 Draft
Contract: Four-year deal (2025), $4.35 million includes signing bonus of $153K
2026 Base Salary: $1,005,000 | Cap Hit $1,043,279
Profile
Toia saw the field in five games last season, failing to log his first career start. After being drafted, the Cowboys traded for both Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, changing the dynamics of the group even with Mazi Smith being shown the door. Now Toia will also compete with a couple of UDFAs in Tommy Dunn and Kelvin Gilliam, hand picked by the new regime as fits into how they want to deploy players.
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