Things already weren’t going great for Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith at training camp. This won’t make it any better.
Smith left a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams on August 5 with knee soreness. That came just one day after he was taken in for an MRI on his knee — not a good sign for a player who already seemed on the verge of losing his starting job.
From The Dallas Morning News: “Smith was examined in the trainer’s tent for several minutes before leaving the field under his own power. Smith came into training camp as a starter, but he has recently been ceding reps working with the first unit to rookie seventh-round draft pick Jay Toia.”
Smith was a first round pick (No. 26 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2023 NFL draft.
Smith Already Being Viewed as Draft Bust
The buzz around Smith after a pair of 2 disappointing seasons to start his career is that his time in Dallas could soon be coming to an end.
“Former first-rounder Mazi Smith endured a particularly tough 2024 campaign,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote on May 9. “He posted an abysmal 34.7 PFF overall grade, marking his second consecutive season of earning a sub-48.0 grade. 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).”
Smith’s PFF grade put him among the worst defensive tackles in the NFL — 207th out of 219 eligible players at his position.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder called Smith the Cowboys’ “Worst First Round Pick” in the last 5 years.
Toia Could Become Incredible Value to Cowboys
If Smith is out for an extended period of time, the Cowboys can take comfort in knowing Toia was already making a play for his job.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski called the 6-foot-2, 342-pound former UCLA star one of the NFL’s top “Draft-Day Steals” following the start of OTAs.
“(Toia) is a powerful, old-school nose tackle capable of eating up blocks, resetting the line of scrimmage and (will) allow those around him to make plays while he does the dirty work,” Sobleski wrote on June 1.
Toia could provide the Cowboys’ defense with what it needs the most — help defending the run. ESPN’s Field Yates praised him for exactly that following the draft.
“After adding the best run blocker in the class early in Alabama’s Tyler Booker, the Cowboys selected one of the best run defenders late in Toia,” Yates wrote on April 29. “He anchored UCLA’s run defense, which gave up only 2.7 yards per attempt in 2023 (second best in the FBS). With great size, power and violent hands, Toia makes life easier for linebackers against the run. But he will be a minimal factor on passing downs.”
The good thing for the Cowboys is neither Smith nor Toia is going to cost them much in 2025 and beyond.
Smith has 2 years and just $4.4 million left on his 4-year, $13.27 million contract. As the No. 217 overall pick, Toia signed a rookie contract for 4 years, $4.35 million and will make less than $1 million as a rookie — that includes all of the contract’s $153,116 in guaranteed money.
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