(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Cooper Hodges #75 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is blocked by Mazi Smith #58 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.

It’s safe to say that if  Mazi Smith were just another player, if the Cowboys had not squandered–er, spent–a 2023 first-round pick on him, that he would no longer be no the 53-man roster at this point. But the Cowboys did pick him, No. 26 out of Michigan, and because of that, the team needs to save face and see if there is yet something that can be made out of him.

But for now, Smith is something of an embarrassment for the franchise, inactive, in street clothes and called out by broadcaster Cris Collinsworth on national TV in the league’s Thursday night season opener last week. According to the Dallas Morning News, Smith is not expected to be active this week, either.

Mazi Smith: Coach ‘Believes in Me’

Coach Brian Schottenheimer has been saying, since news of Smith’s demotion set in, that the big issue coaches have with him is his lack of consistency.

Smith addressed his new status as a roster hanger-on when he spoke to reporters on Friday. “I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team and listen to my coaches and do exactly what they say, whether I’m playing or not,” Smith said.

Smith added that he has been taking Schottenheimer’s message on consistency to heart.

“Yeah, it was something I needed to hear from him.” Smith said. “I do, but you can definitely have a real conversation with him and what’s going on. He told me he believes in me and he knows what type of player I can be.”

Cowboys Have Given Smith Opportunities

Of course, it could be argued that the Cowboys have little need for Smith after the trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers brought back defensive lineman Kenny Clark–who does many of the things that the Cowboys would have liked to have seen from Smith.

Smith started all 17 games for the Cowboys last season but flopped, finishing with a PFF grade of 34.8, which ranked 207th among 219 interior defensive linemen in the NFL. If there is faith that Smith can turn things around, it’s hard to see where that faith is rooted.

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus echoed Schottenheimer’s sentiment on Thursday.

“Just consistency,” Eberflus said when asked how Smith can get on the field more. “He’s done it. He just needs to do it at a more consistent level. And that’s really it. That’s been our message to him throughout the building, and he’s been improving on that.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney