It sure was bizarre to see Cowboys icon Emmitt Smith wearing red at the end of a career that took him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Now his son will look to start his NFL career clad in the same color, just a slightly different shade.
Running back EJ Smith, who went undrafted out of Texas A&M this past weekend, is signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, per reports. The move comes despite the Cowboys having hosted Smith for a “Dallas Day” visit of local prospects during the pre-draft process.
Smith played four years for Stanford before joining the Aggies ahead of the 2024 season. He tallied just over 200 yards in each of his last four college campaigns.
But as the 45th-ranked running back in Dane Brugler’s draft guide “The Beast” for The Athletic, Smith didn’t generate any strong interest during the draft’s seven rounds of selections.
The younger Smith will obviously have a more difficult path to a roster spot than his dad. Emmitt was the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick in 1990, was the team’s backfield starter by Week 2, and went on to be named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. What followed, of course, was one of the most decorated careers ever: eight Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro nods, four league rushing titles, the MVP award in 1993, three Super Bowl rings, MVP honors in Super Bowl XXVIII, Cowboys Ring of Honor member, Hall of Fame enshrinee, and the NFL’s all-time career leader in rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns, and rushing yards.
The vast majority of those accolades came during the 13 years in which Smith wore a Cowboys uniform, but he did close out his career with two final years as an Arizona Cardinal.
The Cowboys, who now have Javonte Williams as their starter and a platoon including Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis, Phil Mafah, and Israel Abanikanda behind him, didn’t take a ballcarrier with any of their seven draft picks.
They did, however, grab Tulsa’s Dominic Richardson after the draft; he ranked 41st at the position in “The Beast.” They also invited Zach Switzer, grandson of former Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer and running back for tiny Presbyterian College of the FCS, to a rookie minicamp tryout.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Son of Cowboys Ring of Honor RB signs with Chiefs as UDFA
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
