This might be the end of the road for former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle and 1st-round pick Mazi Smith.
“Roster Moves: We have waived wide receiver Ryan Miller and claimed wide receiver Jared Wayne off waivers from Houston,” the Dolphins wrote on their official X account on Tuesday. “We have also signed defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson to the practice squad and released defensive lineman Mazi Smith from the practice squad.”
“The Dolphins have released DT Mazi Smith, the former Cowboys first-round pick, who had been on Miami’s practice squad,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Tuesday.
The Cowboys selected Smith with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and traded him to the New York Jets in 2025 as part of the trade that brought NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to Dallas.
“Dolphins signed defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson to the practice squad and released defensive lineman Mazi Smith from the practice squad,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Tuesday.
Jets Quickly Grew Tired of Mazi Smith
If Smith thought he was getting a new start with the Jets and a chance to reboot his career, his play said otherwise and he was released as part of the team’s final roster cuts in August.
“Jets are releasing defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who was included in last season’s trade with Dallas for Quinnen Williams,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on August 29.
“BREAKING: The Jets are releasing DT Mazi Smith,” Preme Football wrote on its official X account. “The former 1st-round pick was acquired by New York last season as part of the blockbuster Quinnen Williams trade with Dallas. In 39 games, he has 57 tackles and 2 sacks.”
“Former first-round DT Mazi Smith being released by the Jets,” Giants Coach Carb wrote on his official X account.
Smith’s 34.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024 — his last complete season with the Cowboys — put him among the worst defensive tackles in the NFL at 207th out of 219 eligible players at his position.
Mazi Smith Became Outright Bust for Cowboys
The Cowboys traded for 2 different Pro Bowl defensive tackles in the last calendar year, Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, which speaks to how desperate they were at the position.
The reason things got to that point was also clear: using a 1st-round pick on Smith in the first place.
Shipped off to the New York Jets at the 2025 NFL trade deadline in the deal that brought Williams to the Cowboys, Smith was at the top of a list of NFL players who could use a career “reboot” from Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski before mincamp in May.
“Mazi Smith’s potential is built upon an obvious contradiction,” Sobleski wrote. “The 6’3″, 323-pound defensive lineman is an elite athlete. At the same time, he’s a poor technician. One negates the other … it now falls on the Jets’ staff to ensure the nose tackle can realize some of his immense upside. At bare minimum, Smith can be an effective space-eater simply by firing off the ball with good pad level to take advantage of his brute strength and powerful hands. He doesn’t need to be a disruptive playmaker. New York now has significant talent found among its front seven. Smith’s concentration should be focused on playing low, doing the dirty work in the trenches and making life easier for everyone around him.”
Cowboys’ Former 1st-Round Pick Released by Dolphins