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Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer opens up on Mazi Smith’s absence

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 3:01 PM ET

Amid the Dallas Cowboys’ new era without Micah Parsons, head coach Brian Schottenheimer delivered an update on his defensive tackle, Mazi Smith. After the Cowboys invited veteran Jadevon Clowney to practice, Schottenheimer didn’t dismiss the possibility of seeing Smith back in action for Week 2’s matchup against the New York Giants.

Schottenheimer addressed Smith’s future with the Cowboys, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

“Mazi is a good player. The flashes are there. It’s just that the consistency has to be there more often,” Schottenheimer said. “Just because you were inactive last week doesn’t mean you’ll be inactive this week.”

Mazi Smith, the Cowboys’ 2023 first-round pick, considered by many to be one of the team’s biggest draft busts in recent years, will look to fight for a spot on the team’s active roster ahead of their game against the Giants. While Shottenheimer isn’t ruling that possibility out, the Cowboys, in light of their invite to Clowney, appear to be hellbent on addressing their defense one way or another in the wake of trading Parsons before the 2025 NFL season.

Brian Schottenheimer still believes in Cowboys’ Super Bowl chances

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Despite losing Week 1’s matchup to the Super Bowl defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, 24-20, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer still believes in his team’s chances to compete for a championship. A season-opening loss did little to discourage Schottenheimer. If anything, it’s motivated him, considering his team got the NFL’s first crack at the defending Super Bowl champs, giving him and his coaching staff plenty to work with ahead of Week 2.

After Week 1’s loss, Schottenheimer reiterated his team’s championship aspirations, as The Athletic’s Jon Machota noted.

“I still think we can win a Super Bowl. That’s the goal. That’s not going to change,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, we’ve got the right type of guys. We got good players.”

“You saw what we’re capable of in the first half offensively. You saw what we’re capable of in the second half defensively. We’ve just got to put the game together in a more complementary fashion because that’s what we’re capable of.”

The Cowboys will host the Giants on Sunday.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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