It’s certainly telling when a team like the Dallas Cowboys, who have endured as many defensive shortcomings this season as you can imagine, is turning its nose up at the notion of keeping a young defensive tackle in the mix.
That’s beginning to appear to be the case with Mazi Smith, a former first-round pick who was made a healthy scratch ahead of the Cowboys’ “Monday Night Football” clash against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mazi Smith Appears Destined to be Traded Ahead of Deadline
Drafted at No. 26 overall by the Cowboys in 2023, Smith played in every game over his first two seasons. However, he’s already missed four games in 2025. Even when he’s been on the field, he’s practically been invisible. Smith has accounted for just two sacks across 39 career games.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Smith is perceived around the league as a player who’s available on the trade market. He’s just 24 years old, so by no means is the rest of his career set in stone, but his stint in Dallas is likely nearing its end.
The #Cowboys have former first-round DT Mazi Smith as a healthy inactive tonight, and he’s viewed around the NFL as a player available on the trade market before Tuesday’s 4:00 PM ET deadline, per sources. https://t.co/A5ghUSUh23 pic.twitter.com/8ldOehbqD9
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 3, 2025
When the Cowboys traded do-it-all defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers over the summer, they acquired nose tackle Kenny Clark in the deal. From the moment that happened, the writing was on the wall for Smith. In the NFL, your leash is only so long before an organization will pull the plug on you; it’s feast or famine.
Jerry Jones Already Has a Deal in Place?
In a Monday morning appearance on Sirius XM radio, team owner and business tycoon Jerry Jones revealed that the Cowboys had the foundations of a trade in place with another team. With the Nov. 4 deadline looming on Tuesday, he wouldn’t divulge any details aside from the incoming player being labeled as an immediate starter.
While there’s no way to say for sure whether or not Smith is involved in the deal, he may not be on the Cowboys’ roster for much longer. If their experiment with him has reached its conclusion, they could always wind up releasing him rather than making him a healthy scratch every week. Ideally, though, they want something in return for a player they invested a first-round selection in.
In five games this season, Smith had zero solo tackles and just three assists. He hasn’t played more than 21 defensive snaps in a game, most recently logging 17 in the Cowboys’ Oct. 26 loss to the Denver Broncos.