The Dolphins are in a part of the season where the checklist matters as much as the scoreboard. Wins still count, of course, but Miami’s roster moves have made the bigger theme pretty clear: this is also about figuring out which players might matter beyond right now.
That’s why defensive tackle Mazi Smith starts to make sense as a name worth watching.
Smith came into the league as a first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2023 after starring at Michigan, but Dallas never got the kind of interior force it was hoping for. He later landed in the trade that sent defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the Jets to the Cowboys, then was cut by New York this offseason after appearing in three games last year. Miami added him to the practice squad, taking a flier on a player who once looked like a disruptive piece up front at Michigan, where Kenneth Grant was also on the defensive line in 2022.
The Dolphins’ interior defensive line is suddenly thin enough that the Smith conversation feels more practical than theoretical. Kenneth Cooper Jr. was waived this week, leaving Miami with just three interior defensive linemen: Zach Sieler, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers. Grant could be back soon from injured reserve, but Week 4 at Minnesota is the last game he must miss regardless of health.
That leaves Miami staring at a game where rolling with only three interior defenders would be a risky bet. One injury would put too much on the shoulders of the remaining two.
So the Dolphins likely need a practice-squad elevation at defensive tackle, especially with the open spot on the 53-man roster expected to go to running back Carlos Washington Jr., according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. Cooper is still an option, since he played in the first three games before clearing waivers and returning to the practice squad. But the fact that Miami was willing to expose him to waivers in the first place says plenty about how firm his place on the roster really is.
That’s where Smith comes back into the picture. If the Dolphins are treating 2026 as a season of evaluation, there’s a straightforward case for seeing what they have in him.
Head coach Jeff Hafley said Friday that Smith has been trending the right way since arriving at practice in the first days of September.
"He keeps getting better, and hopefully we'll be close to seeing him on a Sunday," Hafley said. "But he's making improvement, learning the defense and doing everything that (DL coach Austin) Clark asks him to do.
I think he's getting himself in better shape, which is important. I've seen improvement, and I'm excited about the progress that he's made and eventually we're going to see him on a Sunday."
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Dolphins Rebuild Already Looks Shakier Than Fans Feared
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De'Von Achanes season-ending injury is the kind of setback that changes the feel of a year, especially for a team that needed stability more than anything else. Add in a matchup with the Vikings, another winless start, and the questions around how quickly this group can find traction start to get louder, even if the answers are still weeks away. [Read more 🡒]