Mazi Smith weight mystery takes another concerning twist at Cowboys' OTAs

Organized team activities (OTAs) are up and running in Frisco, which means the Dallas Cowboys are installing new schemes and concepts to their players. That includes Mike Zimmer's defense, which is almost completely different to former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's system.

While Cowboys fans are anxious to see how the linebackers look in Zimmer's scheme, the interior defensive line -- specifically the development of Mazi Smith -- will be far more vital in terms of revealing the defense's ceiling.

The No. 26 overall pick in last year's draft, Smith looked noticeably thinner during the course of his rookie season. He dropped a ton of weight and was asked to convert to a three-tech tackle after he starred at Michigan as a one-technique nose tackle.

The experiment did not go according to plan. Recognizing that did not fit Smith's skillset, Zimmer confirmed before OTAs that Smith will get back to his Michigan playing weight and return to his familiar NT position.

The only problem? Smith looks the same that he did at the end of last season.

Cowboys' Mazi Smith weight conundrum takes concerning twist at OTAs

That does not look like a 300-pound lineman. Granted, it's still early in the offseason, but Zimmer revealed less than a week ago that Smith weighed in at 308 pounds. That hinted Smith was on a trajectory to return to his playing weight at Michigan (328 pounds) by the start of training camp.

Even Cowboys writer Nick Harris of the team's official website noticed that Smith's figure hasn't changed much since the season ended.

"Mazi Smith looks to be hovering around the same weight that he ended the season at in 2023. He was off to the side with Osa Odighizuwa in street clothes, as his upper body looked considerably slimmer than when he arrived a year ago. When asked about an ideal playing weight in 2024 for Smith, head coach Mike McCarthy declined to comment"

- Cowboys writer Nick Harris

That is really concerning.

It's worth noting that Smith underwent shoulder surgery after the season. That could explain why his upper body looks slimmer. It's also important that Smith puts on good weight (eating healthy relative to having an unhealthy diet for the sake of tacking on pounds). That won't happen overnight. However, Cowboys fans would have expected more progress by now.

Maybe Zimmer and Co. have a plan for Smith to tack on weight once he's completed his shoulder rehab, but this is not the update we expected. It's even more concerning that head coach Mike McCarthy declined to speak on Smith's current weight.

You can understand why Dallas wants to wear Smith's weight close to the vest given how much outrage it caused last year, but it only adds to the mystery and concern. Fans can only hope that Smith looks noticeably bulkier by the time the Cowboys head to Oxnard for training camp in two months.

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