According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Dallas Cowboys‘ rookie and first-round draft pick Mazi Smith is out of practice today to get a precautionary MRI on his knee for tendinitis. If this is the case, this could impact Smith’s availability to get preseason playing time.
Mazi Smith Could Miss Some Preseason Time
Jon Machota tweeted that Jerry Jones mentioned his excitement to see Smith, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, and Cooper Rush play in the team’s first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Smith was the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick, ensuring that the Cowboys’ could stuff the trenches and stop the run. Last season at Michigan, he had two forced fumbles, one of which was a recovery, and 48 tackles — 2.5 of which were tackles for a loss.
Although Smith can bury blockers with his strength, and stopping the run shouldn’t be an issue, he needed some polishing with the pass rush.
PFN’s NFL Insider Adam Caplan wrote that according to his scouting sources, Smith should “become a better-than-average pass rusher.”
Other Cowboys Injuries
The Cowboys’ defense has had multiple injuries during camp in the last two weeks. Most notable is that of safety Donovan Wilson who suffered a calf strain during the first week of camp. Head coach Mike McCarthy said this would be a “multi-week” injury.
Wilson will likely be out for the rest of camp and preseason, but he is projected to return for the regular-season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 10.
Although safety Israel Mukuamu was dealing with a hamstring strain, he is in a ramp-up and has since returned to practice.
On the offensive side of the ball, all eyes are on tight end Luke Schoonmaker, who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis since OTAs and minicamp. On Monday, Schoonmaker returned to the field at a limited capacity with individual drills. He saw even more of a workload on Tuesday by seeing some playing time with the starters.