Jets fans can only laugh as Dolphins pick up another New York castoff

When the New York Jets began their 53-man roster cuts, one of the first casualties was former Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick Mazi Smith. The former Michigan standout was essentially a throw-in from the November 2025 trade that shipped Quinnen Williams to Arlington, Texas.

Despite arriving at a team that desperately needed depth on the interior of their defensive line, Smith could hardly get on the field to close out the 2025 season. He appeared in a grand total of three games and played 54 defensive snaps.

This past summer, the Jets made the easy decision to decline Smith's fifth-year option, but kept him on the 90-man offseason roster. He didn't make much of an impact throughout three preseason contests, and New York ultimately cut him.

But Smith's NFL career isn't over yet, as the Jets' AFC East rival Miami Dolphins decided to add Smith to their practice squad on Tuesday afternoon, per Ari Meirov, giving the former 26th overall pick one last chance to make his mark in the pros.

New York Jets castoff Mazi Smith finds new home with Miami Dolphins

Smith is the second ex-Jet the Dolphins picked up after 53-man roster cuts, the first being former undrafted free agent quarterback Brady Cook. Considering the current state of Miami's roster, it's not incredibly far-fetched for them to be taking these dart throws.

It would be hard to find an NFL fan who wouldn't be able to point to Miami's roster and call it the worst in the league. They cut ties with just about every talented veteran on their roster from the last few seasons (except for running back De'Von Achane) and are heading in a new direction under the guidance of general manager Jon Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.

It's why they're turning to young players with a perceived upside like Smith. He may not have an incredible resume throughout his first three years in the league, but he's a former first-round pick, which means something to some people around the league.

The acquisition of Cook makes sense when you look at it through that lens as well. No, he doesn't have the pedigree that Smith did coming out of college, but he has starting experience under his belt as an NFL quarterback, and that's more than you can say for Malik Willis' backup, Kyle McCord.

Regardless, Jets fans can sit back and laugh as the Dolphins pick up another scrap from their own offseason roster. They don't typically get much to laugh about against their AFC East rivals, but this is certainly something.

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