Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith will not play in Las Vegas on Saturday for his second preseason game. Smith suffered an allergic reaction Friday during training camp and has been receiving treatment, the team said in a statement.
The Cowboys are scheduled to face the Raiders on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. Smith will not be in attendance as Dallas continues its preseason games after falling to the Los Angeles Rams 13-12 in its exhibition opener last week.
The Cowboys selected Smith with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Smith was projected to be a low first-round pick or a high second-round pick prior to the draft.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks to the media before the NFL preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams on August 11, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As a rookie, he played in all 17 games, starting three, but recorded fewer than one tackle per game, finishing with 13 on the season, with one sack, three tackles for loss and just three quarterback hits. He then played just four snaps in the playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys' defense will be led by Mike Zimmer for the first time since the 2006 season, and Smith is projected to transition to a traditional nose tackle role. Smith received praise from coaches for his performance in last week's preseason opener against Los Angeles, where he had three tackles in 20 snaps.
Smith will now look to recover from his allergic reaction and return to the field in time for the team's third and final preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Smith's absence could open up playing time for veteran defensive tackle Albert Huggins. Huggins was recently called out and reprimanded by head coach Mike McCarthy after the 305-pound tackle tackled a Rams staff intern to the ground during a joint practice earlier this week.
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott look on during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams during training camp on August 8, 2024, in Oxnard, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
“When it happened, we pulled him from practice,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday. “Frankly, when I watched the video a few hours after practice, I called Sean again. His response was, 'You would have been proud of the way your coaches reacted.' I just want to make sure that that behavior is unacceptable. Emotional discipline in that moment. That's not what we do, and he clearly understands that.”
Meanwhile, star receiver CeeDee Lamb is still not on the team's active roster due to his unwillingness to sign a new contract. Lamb's absence from training camp has caused a public rift between him and owner Jerry Jones, as his future with the team is currently unclear.
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