Cowboys DT Mazi Smith listed as surprise inactive for Week 1 vs. Eagles

Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said that part of the reason in trading linebacker Micah Parsons was they wanted to get better at stopping the run. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith won’t be part of that effort in Thursday’s Week 1 road contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Smith is a surprise inactive for the regular season opener. He was not listed on the injury report, so this is a clear sign he’s lost his job along Dallas’ defensive line.

Smith, the Cowboys’ 2023 first-round selection out of Michigan, started all 17 games last season. He made 41 tackles (22 solo) and tallied one sack. The Cowboys drafted Smith in hopes that he would improve their run defense. Two years into his career, Smith has failed to do that at a high level. Smith earned a 35.9 run defense grade last season according to Pro Football Focus, 202nd out of 220 defensive tackles across the NFL. Dallas, as a team, was 29th against the run last season.

Mazi Smith has fallen down Cowboys depth chart

His starting spot was already far from guaranteed for 2025 but then, the Cowboys acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons trade. Clark will start up front alongside Osa Odighizuwa. 2025 seventh-round pick Jay Toia is active in place of Smith.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week that he spoke with Smith directly after the 53-man roster was finalized. He emphasized that Smith’s roster spot would not be a guarantee moving forward.

“You’ve got your 53-man roster, but then you’ve got your game day roster,” Schottenheimer said. “There’s an expectation of you as a player because of how talented you are and we’ve seen it. We just need to see it on more of a consistent basis.”