Mazi Smith health update: Cowboys defensive tackle returns to practice

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith unfortunately wasn’t able to contribute to their 27-12 preseason victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. Smith is allergic to peanuts and reportedly drank a smoothie that he didn’t know contained peanuts and had a serious allergic reaction. He was rushed to the hospital on Friday and spent four hours there.

“Frankly, everybody was on the bus,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “And I was passing him as he was coming off the bus and I was getting on. But those things are always serious when you have an allergic reaction like that.”

Smith had to stay back in Oxnard, California, where the Cowboys are holding their training camp, while the rest of the team went off to Vegas on Saturday.

Mazi Smith health update

Fortunately, Smith is already feeling better and is returning to the practice field with the rest of the team today (Monday).

After a disappointing rookie season, Smith is hoping to prove he deserved the first-round pick in last year’s draft. He’s put on weight and shown some improvement in training camp and in Dallas’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

While Smith was out, the Cowboys started new signing Jordan Phillips as well as Justin Rogers as the interior defensive tackles. Phillips was signed just in time to take on the role and the Cowboys needed depth at that position as it was. Smith is looking forward to learning from the veteran.