Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith will not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders after suffering an allergic reaction Friday, the team announced.
The Cowboys said in a release that Smith was continuing to recover and would not travel to Las Vegas. On Friday, they had left open the chance of Smith joining the team after initially announcing his medical issue that occurred before the Cowboys departed Oxnard, California.
Smith, the Cowboys’ 2023 first-round pick, earned praise from the coaches for his performance in the preseason opener last week against the Los Angeles Rams as he appears to have found a better fit in a traditional nose tackle role under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
He had a suspect rookie season with low confidence and light production, and he played just four snaps in the playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys acquired veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants this week in an exchange of 2026 draft picks, but the deal was not made because of any unhappiness with Smith. Dallas has been on the lookout for veteran help to pair with Smith and might not be done looking.
Information from ESPN’s Todd Archer was used in this report.