Cowboys Rumors: Mazi Smith, 1st-Round Pick, to Get Precautionary MRI on Knee Injury

Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith missed Tuesday's training camp practice and is getting a precautionary MRI on his knee, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Smith has been dealing with tendinitis in his knee this summer, per Pelissero.

The Cowboys selected Smith in the first round of the 2023 draft out of Michigan, where he had a solid 2022 season, posting one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 48 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss in 14 games.

Smith is the first defensive tackle selected by the Cowboys in the first round since 1991, so he's going to have pretty high expectations entering the 2023 season.

However, Smith is good at what he does, specializing in the defending of the running game, which was one of the Cowboys' biggest weaknesses in 2022 as the defense ranked 22nd in run defense last year.

The 22-year-old is currently slated to be the starting nose tackle in Dan Quinn's defense that also includes Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch and DeMarcus Lawrence.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters on Monday that he's looking forward to seeing what Smith can do, in addition to some of the team's other offseason additions.

"Well it's easy to broad stroke it but I like to see Mazi," Jones said. "I just want to see him kinda right there in combat. Again, I'm sure excited really about seeing them on the field. [Brandin] Cooks, to some degree, some of the other guys, [Michael] Gallup, just see that receiving corps. You guys are noticing that you're hearing about out there is some nuances that are different out here. So it's going to be good to see them do it."

If Smith is unable to start come Week 1, Johnathan Hankins would be in line to take his starting job.