GREEN BAY, Wis. - There might be nobody happier about the Green Bay Packers' decision to sign Mazi Smith to the practice squad on Monday than his former-turned-current teammate, Micah Parsons.
As reported by ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky , the Packers signed Smith to the practice squad following a Monday workout.
"Let's go!" Parsons screamed when the Cowboys drafted Smith in the first round in 2023.
Parsons with the Packers has been the hype man for Lukas Van Ness, among others. He was the same way with Smith during their time together. More on that in a moment.
Smith was a bust for the Cowboys and represents a Hail Mary of sorts for the Packers on a talented player who could fill a need. The Packers have been hammered by injuries at defensive tackle, with Warren Brinson, Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Ford on injured reserve. They beat the Cowboys with only four defensive tackles on the active roster. Plus, they have only one player on the practice squad, undrafted rookie David Blay Jr.
So, maybe the Packers will catch lightning in a bottle with Smith, who was the 26th pick of the 2023 draft.
"It's like Christmas," then-Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after Smith was selected. "When you look at all the work that goes into it, going back to his 30 visit, and just what a great fit he is for us ... I just want him to be himself. He is a great fit for us."
During the predraft process, Smith gained a big supporter in Parsons. He even texted his defensive coordinator at the time, Dan Quinn, hoping the Cowboys would draft Smith.
"It's not what I think he can be, it's what Mazi has to be," Parsons said at the start of training camp in 2024 . "When you get to this business, there is no more of a choice or a can, it's either you will or you won't. They usually try to find someone else to do it if you can't. It's what Mazi has to be. He has to be dominant. He has to be a force. He has to be that guy for us.
Micah Parsons (11) and Mazi Smith laugh before a Cowboys-Ravens game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"That's why they drafted him in the first round. You're not getting drafted in the first round not to be a productive talent, not to be on the sidelines. We drafted him to be in the game and that's how much confidence you have (to have). I don't expect Mazi to do anything. It's what Mazi has to do at this point.
"That's why I'm in his corner, I'm rooting for him and hoping to get him better every day. Pushing his conditioning, pushing his limits, because we need Mazi to be strong. We need Mazi to be that great force. He can be a dominant player, it's just a will and mindset. That's why we're all here."
Responded Smith : "I don't really set goals. Everybody want to be an All-Pro, everybody wants to be a top five. I want to be the best me I can be and I know what that can get me. It's got to this point so, I ain't worried about accolades or that type."
Smith played in 17 games with three starts as a rookie and started all 17 games in 2024, when he set career highs with 41 tackles and four tackles for losses.
"You can see it in his face that he loves ball, he loves everything about it," Cowboys executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones said. "All the coaches that met with him agree that he'd be a great fit in this organization, and for him to fall down there to us and for us to have the opportunity to pick him, I feel like Mike. I feel like it's Christmas."
Last year, the Cowboys traded him to the Jets in the midseason blockbuster for Quinnen Williams, so he played in a total of eight games between the teams. He failed to make the Jets' roster in training camp this year and signed to the Dolphins' practice squad. He played in one game with Miami and was released last week.
Added together, Smith is in his fourth season. He's played in 43 games with 20 starts. He has 57 tackles, including two sacks and seven for losses.
"I'm excited to get pointed in the right direction," he said after he was drafted, a quote that perhaps fits today. "To climb this big ole' mountain, they'll tell me where to start. I'm excited to get into the heavy duty [part] of things. I'm ready to put this work in and feel what my first offensive lineman feels like in the NFL."
The native of Grand Rapids, Mich., was a consensus first-team all-Big Ten selection at Michigan in 2022, when he was the Wolverines' defensive player of the year with 48 tackles in 14 games.
He was the No. 1 player on Bruce Feldman's prestigious Freaks List before the 2022 season. He measured 6-foot-3 and 323 pounds at the 2023 Scouting Combine. He skipped most of the testing but put up 34 reps on the 225-pound bench press.
"A dog. A big dog, you know what I'm saying, he said after he was drafted. "A big fella; a big, physical guy. I've never been afraid of contact. I've never been afraid to ball. A guy that's going to get in somebody's face. A guy that isn't going to make it easy."
He used that size in college to be a premier run-stopping tackle.
"Man, I'm like 325 pounds. I've got real power in my hands. I've been strong my whole life. I came out of the womb looking like I did pushups. I was doing pushups in there, so I've just been strong my whole life. I've figured out how to use it on the field, figured out the right techniques, figured out the right stance to get into and just started striking blocks and making sure they went backwards."
Parsons hoped that would improve Dallas' run defense. It did not, but maybe that from-the-womb strength will be an asset with Parsons in Green Bay.
"You got to give him attention," Parsons said after the 2023 draft . "He's going to push guys back. He's powerful. He's strong. He's going to get under people's pads. And he's great in the run and we're going to develop him in the pass."
SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as New Packers Defensive Tackle Will Have Micah Parsons' Seal of Approval .
