It hasn’t been an ideal first few years in the NFL for Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Mazi Smith. Smith was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, with many hoping that he’d eventually be a star in Dallas. To say that hasn’t been the case over the first few years of his career would be putting things lightly, as he was a healthy inactive in Week 1 and Week 2.
In his 34 games played, he’s racked up 54 tackles and two sacks.
While Smith hasn’t played well, that doesn’t mean he can’t impress elsewhere. At this point, it might be better for the Cowboys to move on from him. When searching for potential landing spots, Kristopher Knox and Bleacher Report proposed a trade idea to send him to the Washington Commanders.
“The start to Mazi Smith’s NFL career hasn’t been any more impressive than the start to Neal’s. A 2023 first-round pick out of Michigan, Smith has appeared in 34 games and played 830 defensive snaps but recorded just 54 tackles and two sacks over his first two seasons. He’s been a healthy scratch in each of the Dallas Cowboys’ first two games this year…
“However, Smith is a 6’3″, 337-pound defender, and size can’t be coached. He’s also just 24 years old and has two years remaining on his rookie contract. Teams looking for a rotational run-stopper or even a project to develop for the future should be willing to take a flier on him. The Cowboys should be willing to listen to any reasonable offer,” he wrote.
Could Cowboys, Commanders Make Trade Within Division?
The Washington Commanders have been one of the more underrated teams in the NFL over the past few seasons, and look poised to make a decent run this year, depending on the health of Jayden Daniels. However, while trading him makes sense from the Dallas Cowboys’ perspective, it’d also be tough to justify sending him to a division rival.
Smith understands that he hasn’t played the type of football that he was looking for entering the league, but stated that he just wants to continue to improve and do whatever the coaches ask of him, a positive sign.
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team and listen to my coaches and do exactly what they say, whether I’m playing or not,” Smith said, per Yahoo.
Does Dallas Still Value Mazi Smith?
Brian Schottenheimer hasn’t been too upset with Smith yet. Unfortunately for Smith, he makes the final decisions, and not playing has been in his cards. However, it certainly sounds like his coach has some love for him, even stating that he’s had flashes for the Dallas Cowboys.
“In Mazi’s case, Mazi’s a good player,” Schottenheimer said, per Dallas News.
“The flashes are there. It’s just the consistency has to be there more often. Just because you’re inactive this week doesn’t mean you’re going to inactive this week. It just means you were inactive Week 1. They have a big role in trying to get that changed. At the end of the day, we do a great job I believe of trying to communicate to these guys on game day or the night before in this case, because of the noon start, of what the plan is. But things change in a hurry.”
For Smith and the Cowboys, the hope will be that he puts those flashes together every single week, one day.