The Dallas Cowboys are 2-2-1 on the season after taking a 37-22 win over the New York Jets in Week 5. Despite the ups and downs at times, there's been plenty for Dallas fans to feel good about thus far. Unfortunately, defensive tackle Mazi Smith has not been one of them as the recent first-round pick has been a massive letdown for this team.
And at this point, Dallas appears to be better off with him off the team than sticking around. Smith has suited up in three games this season, logging just one tackle. He has posted donuts in every other statistical category and has been a non-factor out on the field.
Mazi Smith Has Been Non-Factor for Cowboys in 2025
Ever since he was selected with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Smith has struggled to prove his worth to the Cowboys. In 37 career games, Smith has 55 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six QB hits, and just two sacks.
For comparison's sake, the next defensive tackle drafted after Dallas selected Smith, Bryan Breese of the New Orleans Saints, has made a significantly larger impact in roughly the same number of games played. In Breese's 39 appearances, the former Clemson standout has 59 total tackles, 16 TFLs, 27 QB hits, and 13 sacks.
The Cowboys believed they were getting an anchor along the interior of their defensive line when they selected Smith, but he's been anything but that. This season, he's fourth among Dallas defensive tackles in total snaps (51), trailing Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, and Solomon Thomas.
Smith has logged 31% or fewer of the team snaps in the last three weeks. According to PFF, the Michigan product has a 49.3 overall grade (146th among 184 graded defensive linemen) and a 40.8 run-defense grade (165th among 184 graded defensive linemen). Those numbers tell the story. Smith isn't part of the puzzle for this defense.
The Cowboys have given Smith two full seasons and the first month of the 2025 season to see what kind of player he could be. Instead of proving that he could be a player who will be around for the future, it's becoming evident that things may not work in Dallas.
While it would be great to gain some draft capital, it will be hard for the Cowboys to convince a team to give up anything of value to acquire Smith.
At this rate, Dallas could end up just releasing Smith to cut their losses and turn the page on this chapter. Who knows if that will actually happen, but it's clear that Smith is not part of the team's plans moving forward. This is especially true now that they've extended Odighizuwa and have Clark on the books through 2027.
Whenever Smith touches the field, he needs to showcase something to the coaching staff, but the odds are he won't do much in his limited snaps anyway.