Cowboys Predicted to Part Ways With $13 Million Former First Round Pick

Dallas, TX – May 16, 2025

The Dallas Cowboys are predicted to part ways with defensive tackle Mazi Smith, their 2023 first-round pick (No. 26 overall), as his performance continues to fall short of expectations, according to a recent analysis by PFF. Smith, who is in the third year of a 4-year, $13.2 million contract, has struggled to justify his draft position, and 2025 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for him.

Smith’s first two seasons in the NFL have been underwhelming. In 2023, his rookie year, he recorded just 13 tackles and 1.0 sack across 17 games with 3 starts. In 2024, despite starting all 17 games, he managed only 41 tackles, 1.0 sack, and 4 tackles for loss, with a mere 3 quarterback hits and no forced fumbles or recoveries. His PFF overall grade of 34.7 in 2024 ranked him 207th out of 219 eligible defensive tackles, marking his second consecutive season with a sub-48.0 grade.

“Former first-rounder Mazi Smith endured a particularly tough 2024 campaign,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote on May 9. “Although Dallas signed Solomon Thomas in free agency, that doesn’t profile as the answer to the Cowboys’ 30th-ranked run-defense grade (48.0).”

The Cowboys’ run defense has been a weak point, and Smith’s lack of impact has put his roster spot in jeopardy. One potential scenario sees the Cowboys trading Smith before the NFL trade deadline in 2025 to a team in need of an interior run defender, aiming to salvage some value before his trade stock declines further.

Smith entered the NFL with high expectations after a standout college career at the University of Michigan. In 2022, he was named to the All-Big Ten Conference team, recording 49 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery while leading the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman listed him as No. 1 on his 2022 college football “Freaks” list, praising his rare combination of power and agility at 6-foot-3 and 337 pounds.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Smith to two-time Pro Bowler Dontari Poe but cautioned that he was more of a Day 2 talent with upside rather than an immediate starter. The Cowboys, however, saw enough potential to make him their first defensive tackle selected in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991.

The team may have signaled their concerns about Smith in the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting two defensive tackles in the seventh round: UCLA’s Jay Toia and Maryland’s Tommy Akingbesote. If Smith fails to improve in 2025, the Cowboys could look to move on, either through a trade or by releasing him, marking a disappointing outcome for a once-promising first-round pick.