Cowboys first-rounder Mazi Smith skipping game after allergic reaction amid chaotic preseason
Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith won't suit up in Las Vegas for his second preseason game on Saturday. Smith suffered an allergic reaction on Friday during training camp and has been receiving treatment, the team said in a release.
The Cowboys are scheduled to face the Raiders at 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday. Smith will be absent as Dallas continues its preseason scrimmages after falling to the Los Angeles Rams 13-12 in their first exhibition last week.
The Cowboys drafted Smith with the 26th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Smith was projected to be either a low first-round pick or high second-round pick ahead of the draft.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks 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 with three starts, but registered less than a tackle a game, finishing with 13 for the season with one sack, three tackles for loss and just three QB 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 into a traditional nose tackle role. Smith earned praise from the coaches for his performance in the preseason opener last week 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 condemned and reprimanded by head coach Mike McCarthy after the 305-pound tackle knocked an intern on the Rams staff to the ground during a joint practice earlier this week.
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Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott look on during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams at training camp on August 8, 2024, in Oxnard, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
"When it did happen, we removed him from practice," McCarthy told reporters on Thursday. "Frankly, when I saw the video a few hours later after the practice, I called Sean again. His response to me was, ‘You’d have been proud the way your coaches reacted.’ I just want to make sure that behavior is unacceptable. Emotional discipline in that moment. That’s not what we’re about, and he clearly understands that."
Meanwhile, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb still is not on the team's active roster amid a holdout for a new contract. Lamb's absence from 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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