Cowboys DT Didn’t Travel With Team Due to Allergic Reaction Suffered

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith did not travel with the team to their second preseason game due to an allergic reaction, the team announced.

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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shared the news on Friday via Twitter/X with this statement.

“Mazi Smith experienced an allergic reaction this afternoon at training camp that resulted in him not being able to travel with the team to Las Vegas. He has received treatment and will be reevaluated in the morning with this game status updated following that.”

The Cowboys will face the Las Vegas Raiders in their second preseason game on Saturday night. On Friday, the team left open the chance of Smoth joining the team after initially announcing the medical issue that occurred at the Cowboy practice facility in Oxnard, California.

The Cowboys drafted the 23-year-old in the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round. The Michigan native stood in his home state to attend the University of Michigan and was named First-team All-Big Ten in his senior year in 2022.

His rookie season with the Cowboys was relatively uneventful. Although he was a first-round pick, Smith started only three games while playing in all 17. He recorded 13 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and one sack.

Smith did his part to lead Dallas to win the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Unfortunately, Smith and the Cowboys failed to make it past the Wild Card round as they got upset by the Green Bay Packers at home, 48-32.

That is all in the past. Smith is preparing for his second NFL season, and he is believed to play a significant role in Dallas. According to new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, he has a plan for the big defensive tackle. Zimmer will have him move from the 3-technique position and play more of the blocks in the new scheme.

“He lost a lot of weight when he got here,” Zimmer said. “He was trying to be an attacking 3-technique to get up the field.”

“We’re gonna probably play blocks a little bit more, and try not to get reached so linebackers know where they’re supposed to fit — so forth and so on. That’s the biggest thing. … Yeah, it’s what he did in college.”

Smith is expected to be just fine and is looking forward to making a name for himself once the real games begin in less than three weeks from now.

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