The Dallas Cowboys would like to take a mulligan on the 2023 NFL Draft, at least when it comes to their first-round pick. Their disappointment could become a reclamation project for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Cowboys selected Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith at No. 26 overall, and the fit made sense. Smith was an exciting, versatile prospect who profiled as a strong run defender at the very least with intriguing pass-rushing potential at the pro level. The stat sheet was disproportional to his draft stock, which is why Dallas took the chance that it did.
Unfortunately, Smith has been a disappointment from the outset. Despite playing in all 17 games as a rookie and starting all 17 games as a second-year player in 2024, Smith was largely unproductive up front for the Cowboys. Smith's overall grade at Pro Football Focus last season was 34.7, and that matches the eye test as well.
There was a large contingency of Cowboys fans who even thought Smith would be cut before active rosters were due back in late August. However, Smith's former first-round status gave him another year of development, and the cap hit on a guaranteed deal of his size wasn't worth the hit (and potential miss of a late-bloomer in the NFL).
If the Cowboys decide to cut ties with Mazi Smith, expect the Chiefs to at least kick the tires.
But through seven games, Smith is leaning more and more into the bust category in 2025. He's been a healthy scratch on more than one occasion and has played only 72 snaps in 4 appearances. This is bad news considering how light the Cowboys are in the trenches, and it speaks volumes that Smith hasn't made his presence felt, given the size of the opportunity in front of him.
The Cowboys have Perrion Winfrey, who was a summer sensation in preseason, eligible to return from injured reserve, but they've yet to open his 21-day window, so perhaps he's not ready to return from a back injury. When Winfrey returns, it could be the roster move needed to bump Smith permanently, given how little he's used.
That's where this gets interesting for the Chiefs, who were rumored to be interested in Smith before the draft. The Chiefs hosted the massive lineman for a pre-draft visit at Arrowhead, and post-draft rumors had K.C. potentially interested in a deal with Dallas to move up from No. 32 overall and grab Smith. As it happened, the Chiefs stood pat and selected Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
The Chiefs have major interior needs on defense with the lack of dynamism behind Chris Jones and the recent injury to Omarr Norman-Lott. The Chiefs could use some help and are rumored to be searching for potential upgrades before the league's trade deadline. Derrick Nnadi and Jerry Tillery are in place along with some practice squad options like Marlon Tuipulotu and Zacch Pickens.
In terms of timing, if the Cowboys are waiting on Winfrey's return to set Smith free, then any sort of potential addition here would come after the deadline. But Chiefs GM Brett Veach wouldn't be focused on Smith as a roster fix anyway. Instead, it would be one of many low-risk, high-upside maneuvers that sometimes pay off (e.g. former New England Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton).
All of this is a long shot because Smith is still under contract with the Cowboys at the present time. His first-round contract is also too expensive for anyone to want to swallow with a trade. But if Dallas decides they're done with the disappointment, the Chiefs feel like an obvious home if Smith ends up hitting free agency—whether that's a bit later this season or somewhere down the line.