FRISCO — The last time defensive tackle Mazi Smith missed a game was the 2020 season when he was a sophomore at Michigan.
Smith has played in every college and NFL game since then. Until now.
Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, was inactive last week for the first time in his pro career and isn’t expected to be active for Sunday’s home opener against the Giants.
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“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team and listen to my coaches and do exactly what they say, whether I’m playing or not,” Smith said after Friday’s practice.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer, backed up by defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, said Smith needs to play with more consistency.
The coaches say he flashes, but it’s not enough.
“In Mazi’s case, Mazi’s a good player,” Schottenheimer said. “The flashes are there. It’s just the consistency has to be there more often. Just because you’re inactive this week doesn’t mean you’re going to inactive this week. It just means you were inactive Week 1. They have a big role in trying to get that changed. At the end of the day, we do a great job I believe of trying to communicate to these guys on game day or the night before in this case, because of the noon start, of what the plan is. But things change in a hurry.”
When the Cowboys traded for Kenny Clark it meant Smith’s playing time would get reduced.
Smith played all three preseason games and there was concern he could get cut and not make the 53-man roster. But Smith made it, and once the team traded Micah Parsons for two first-round picks and Clark, it pushed Smith into an unknown status at the time.
After a conversation with Schottenheimer, Smith knows where he stands.
“Yeah, it was something I needed to hear from him.” Smith said. “I do, but you can definitely have a real conversation with him and what’s going on. He told me he believes in me and he knows what type of player I can be.”
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