Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith is going to be a game-time decision ahead of the team’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, according to Jane Slater.
Smith was seen leaving practice earlier in the week with an athletic trainer. Head coach Mike McCarthy later shared that Smith was looking good and had taken a step in the right direction. However, he was non-committal during the week regarding whether or not he’d play.
This comes at a time when the Cowboys’ defensive line is having its depth tested. Jordan Phillips, another defensive tackle on the team, was put on injured reserve the same day that Smith left practice with the trainer.
The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2024 season with high expectations. However, it’s been a difficult first couple of weeks and now Baltimore is looking to get back on track. To do so, they’ll be relying on their talented backfield, headlined by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. Together, their running ability would test any defensive line.
This comes after a disastrous Week 2 game for the Dallas Cowboys. The New Orleans Saints beat Dallas by a final score of 44-19. That game saw the Saints rush all over the Cowboys defense to the tune of 190 yards. Alvin Kamara, in particular, had 115 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. It’s a performance that Dallas can’t afford to repeat against another very talented team.
Mazi Smith is a former first round pick who has struggled to live up to expectations since arriving in Dallas. Now in his second season, Smith has played in 56 snaps without recording a statistic to this point in the season.
Ahead of the season, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer shared his thoughts on how Smith was working to get ready for this year.
“He lost a lot of weight when he got here,” Zimmer said. “He was trying to be an attacking 3-technique to get up the field. We’re gonna probably play blocks a little bit more, and try not to get reached so linebackers know where they’re supposed to fit — so forth and so on. That’s the biggest thing. … Yeah, it’s what he did in college.”
Heading into Week 3 of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 1-1. That’s good for a three-way tie for first place early in the season. Only the New York Giants have yet to win a game in the division. However, there is still plenty of season remaining for that to change.
