An ugly preseason for the Dallas Cowboys has only been made worse by the struggles of former first-round pick Mazi Smith. His performances have shattered any hope remaining from the fanbase for a career revival.
It’s been a bumpy road from the jump for Smith: he wasn’t a popular pick to begin with, partially due to some Michigan-Taco Charlton PTSD.
The on-field showing failed to pop in his rookie year, which was also clouded by a weight controversy that I’m sure Cowboys fans would love to forget. Things improved slightly in 2024, but the major jump he needed to take in 2025 is simply not happening.
Smith’s preseason performance has been a major part of a larger problem with the Dallas defensive line, and I don’t know how much longer the front office can hold on.
Could this be the end of the line for Mazi Smith? Would the Cowboys actually move on from a first-rounder just three years in? Let’s talk about it.
The Facts: Mazi Smith Is Not Needed In Dallas
If you haven’t watched these preseason games, you’re going to have to trust me when I say this: Smith might be playing his worst football to date right now. If you have been watching, you know I’m right.
He is getting blown off the line of scrimmage, swallowed up by the interior offensive line, and has failed to do much of anything to prevent the run.
Now, I know that doesn’t sound too uncommon; why would Dallas suddenly move on from Smith now if it’s the same struggles they’ve experienced before? The answer lies in the rest of the depth chart.
Tyler Smith pushing Mazi Smith back pic.twitter.com/2G4PSSsSWt
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 28, 2025
The Cowboys do not need Smith anymore. His absence would not leave a hole in the roster; he is the hole in the roster right now.
Smith, thanks to his status as a former first-rounder, is taking snaps away from guys who are playing well. Guys like Jay Toia and Perrion Winfrey are earning high praise, and at this point, they deserve to play over Smith.
These are the facts. When you look at it, cut and dry, Dallas should cut Smith when the rosters go down to 53. The only problem is, they might not care to consider the facts.
Why Mazi Smith Could Stay: Hesitant Front Office Holding On For Dear Life
If there is one thing the Dallas Cowboys front office struggles with, it’s admitting mistakes. Often, they’ll have a bad decision right in front of their face, and they will turn a blind eye.
Whether that stems from ego, hesitancy, or unyielding hope in their decisions, I don’t know. What I do know is that trait is the only thing keeping Mazi Smith afloat right now.
For Dallas to cut him, it would mean admitting defeat after just two full seasons on a first-round pick, in favor of a late-round rookie in Toia, and a journeyman in Winfrey. That isn’t really the Cowboy way.
Perrion Winfrey is a pretty powerful dude at times. Nice little reverse pancake to generate pressure and force an incompletion. pic.twitter.com/XD3Ggqq14E
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) August 17, 2025
Not to mention, Smith would carry nearly $3.5M in dead cap if released. That is also not the Cowboy way. They don’t take financial hits like that if they can avoid it.
In this case, they can avoid it. It would not surprise me in the least if they hurt the on-field product to save a little money and keep the dream alive that Smith suddenly turns this ship around.
Nothing is guaranteed right now, and you never know, maybe Smith does improve before the regular season starts. However, it should be a long shot for him to remain a Cowboy beyond these next few weeks; it is just time to flip the page.
DT Trysten Hill few years ago now M Smith. The hyped up “draft guru” Will McClay is overrated but the Jones have a habit of being too loyal. Then waiting till the 7th round to pick a DT this past draft. Hopefully Toia works out. But counting on a late round rookie to shore up the run defense is not very smart.
There’s nothing wrong with Will McClay, he is great at his job!! And Mazi Smith is a really good player!! It’s not Mazi or McClays fault it’s not working with Mazi, it’s the defensive coordinators that keep making him lose and gain weight every year!! It’s hard enough for a player to go through 3 different defensive coordinators in the first 3 years of their career, but having to lose weight one year then gain weight the next year and then lose weight again at the same time as learning from a new defensive coordinator every year is too much for any player to go through!! They just need to keep him at the same weight he was when he was in college and when he was drafted!! He was drafted to be the player he was in college, but he can’t be that player if he’s being told to change his weight every year!! So like I said, they need to keep him at the weight he was at when he was drafted and let him play!! He’ll be a lot better if they would stop making him change his weight every year and play different than what he was drafted to play!! That’s the problem with Mazi, it’s not Mazi’s fault, and it’s not on McClay for putting Mazi in as a draft option, which by the way, it was Dan Quinn and the other coaches that wanted Mazi not McClay…. They were deciding between Mazi and an offensive lineman in the 1st round, and the coaches wanted Mazi, so that’s who they drafted!! But either way, like I said, it’s not Mazi’s fault he hasn’t been the player he was drafted to be, it’s the defensive coordinators fault for changing Mazi so much the last 3 years!!
I wonder if he would be a good run stopper from left defensive end????
McClay is among the best . It’s not him we need to blame. Trysten Hill was the pick of Rod Marinelli who pounded the table for him. I don’t know who picked taco but that was another blunder, by none other than Jerry Jones. It happens all the time. It’s just that we needed a hit with Mazi. It’s not all his fault either. There different coordinators in 3 years, making him look like a yo yo with his weight. Hopefully he shows huge improvement really soon. I’m pulling for the young man..
He looks badly out of shape. I don’t see the fire in his body language.
It’s because he’s been told to change his weight every year since he was drafted!! First Dan Quinn made him lose about 40 pounds, then Mike Zimmer told him to put all that weight back on, and now Eberflus made him lose weight again!! He went through all that plus 3 different defensive coordinators in the same amount of years!! That’s a lot for a player to go through!! And a lot of people don’t realize how bad it is for a player to go through all that in their first 3 years in the NFL!! If these defensive coordinators would just let him stay at the same weight he was playing at in college and when he was drafted, he would be a lot better of a player, but they think it’s a good idea to change him and make him play in a way he’s never played before!! They drafted him because of the player he was in college, but they keep making him lose weight and play in a way he’s not used to playing, and people wanna blame him for not being good, when it’s the coordinators doing it to him!! The only defensive coordinator that did the right thing with him was Mike Zimmer, but for some reason, he was the worst of the 3 Mazi played for!! But the other 2 just don’t seem to be too good with DTs for some reason!! But anyways, that’s why Mazi looks the way he does!! Too much weight change in the last 3 years!!
Not all his fault
In the trenches iz where da Big Boyz pla
It’s not Mazi that’s not doing good, it’s the defensive coordinators!! They need to stop making him lose so much weight, and then gain it back the next year with a new coordinator, and then lose all that weight again the next year!! It’s hard enough to have to go through 3 different defensive coordinators in the first 3 years of a players career, but having to change their weight by losing and gaining 30 or 40 pounds every year makes it even worse!! He had to lose 30 or 40 pounds in his rookie year, and then gain 30 or 40 pounds in year 2 and then again in year 3 he had to lose 30 or 40 pounds again!! How is any player gonna be able to play at their best when they can’t stay at a weight their comfortable with, and it’s even harder when they can’t even stay at a weight long enough to even try to get comfortable with!! These defensive coordinators making him lose all that weight need to stop making him lose the weight and let him play at the weight he was playing at in college!! If they let him do that for 2 years in a row, he’ll be a lot better of a player!! He showed in week 10 through week 15 last year how much better he is when he’s playing with the weight he played with in college, and that’s just after playing 10 games, so it’ll only be a lot better if he can keep that weight on for a couple of seasons in a row!! Mazi is a great player, he just needs to play for a defensive coordinator that’ll let him play at his comfortable weight and let him stay there!! But changing his weight by that much every year isn’t doing anything but hurting him!!
A stubborn, out of touch front office has been & will continue to b the biggest issue with this team
Yup…Jerry is the worst GM in the league
Too much money being wasted on these overated draft dead-beats.
The NFL showed a picture of Mazi from the waist up before the draft had started, and he looked like a big blob of fat. No muscle no tone just fat. That was when I hoped Dallas didn’t pick him, but of course they did. Maybe the office can package him with some one else and get a pick or another player. Some coach out there will think he can salvage him. Fat chance. Start working the phone Sh__ty.
Cowboys couldn’t get peanuts for Mazi. He might work his way back to the NFL via the UFL as Winfrey did.
You are an absolute idiot! If you had any knowledge whatsoever of football and the scheme the Cowboys are running, you would know that Mazi is doing his job! He’s not flashy and hasn’t made any A+ plays to this point, but he also hasn’t failed. I am getting so tired of folks in the media, who call themselves journalists, saying/writing stuff so off base. You’re either absolutely incompetent, or you’re trying to gaslight the fan base…just STOP!!!