A former Dallas Cowboys first-round pick and epic draft bust has found a new home.
“The Packers are planning to sign Mazi Smith to their practice squad,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Monday.
It’s Smith’s fourth team in two years after he was traded from the Cowboys to the New York Jets as part of the trade for NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams — the same position Smith plays.
“The Packers held a tryout for DT Mazi Smith, the former first-round pick out of Michigan,” ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wrote on his official X account on Monday before Smith signed. “Smith was the 26th overall pick of the Cowboys in 2023. He played in one game for the Dolphins this season but was released. Also spent time with the Jets last season.”
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.”
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,” according to 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.”
Ex-Dallas Cowboys 1st-Round Draft Bust Signs With Packers