Former Dallas Cowboys starter Mazi Smith has struggled to live up to his lofty draft status, and was released by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. Smith, who was a first-round pick for Dallas out of Michigan in 2023 was part of the Miami practice squad and appeared in just one game for the Dolphins.
Smith spent two and a half years in Dallas before being traded to the New York Jets last season as part of the deal for Quinnen Williams. Smith played three games for the Jets, but never recorded a tackle. He was released ahead of the 2026 season before signing with Miami, where he also failed to record a tackle.
That means since leaving Dallas, Smith has appeared in just four games with 69 total snaps and not a single tackle. It's an incredible fall from grace for a player who entered the NFL as a serious threat to be a force as a nose tackle with a promising mix of speed and strength.
Mazi Smith was supposed to fix the Dallas defensive line
When the Cowboys selected Smith at No. 26 overall in 2023, he was supposed to solve their ongoing issues with run defense. Dallas had several flashy players at the time, including Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizzuwa, who were able to generate pressure on the quarterback.
What they didn't have was someone who could do the dirty work and shut down the run. That's what the 6-foot-3, 337-pound Smith was supposed to do. Unfortunately, he never found a steady role with the team.
Under Dan Quinn, Smith was asked to play a penetrating 3-tech role, with Quinn attempting to take advantage of his speed and athleticism. When Quinn left and Mike Zimmer took over, Smith was moved back to the 1-tech and fans were thrilled about the change. It seemed as though Zimmer was going to allow Smith to focus more on run defense, but he didn't find success there either. Instead, fans saw why Quinn tried to focus on his speed as Smith struggled to win with power and was often pushed off the line of scrimmage.
Now, Smith will be looking for his fourth NFL team. As for the Cowboys, they're still trying to figure out how to stop the run, even with Williams, Kenny Clark, and Otito Ogbonnia as their top defensive tackles.
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