What has Cowboys’ Mazi Smith been eating?

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith was a first-round pick in 2023, and he unfortunately had a pretty underwhelming rookie season, to say the least. He finished the season with just nine solo tackles, 13 total tackles, and one sack. Expectations were high after his impressive college career with Michigan, and falling short as a first-round draft pick is never good.

It’s no surprise really that the Cowboys did absolutely nothing to upgrade the interior defensive line in the draft this year or in free agency, so the hope is that Smith will improve in his second season. He’s dealing with the recovery from a shoulder surgery this offseason, so getting healthy is the first order of business. Smith also lost some weight last season, which some speculate could have had to do with his shockingly subpar performance. After getting healthy and gaining a little weight, Smith will need to get up to speed with new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s new scheme.

What did Mazi Smith say about his offseason?

Fortunately, it looks like at least one of those things may already be solved, or getting there. As part of an interview for Dallas Cowboys Media Day, Smith told reporter Nicole Hutchison that he’s been “eating the right things”. He did not specify what those “things” are, but with that comment, we can deduce that he’s made his diet a priority.

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“Just really, just getting back all the way to how I’m supposed to be,” Smith said. “Putting everything back the right way. Training the right way. Eating the right things. All of that stuff that you’re supposed to do.”

The Cowboys have a good thing going with Osa Odighizuwa, but it’s Smith who will need to be able to stop the run. The Cowboys are counting on him to have a better season this year and it looks like he’s ready to prove they can trust him to do so. We’ll have to see how true it is when training camp starts next week.