E. J. Smith, the son of the Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, has found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Cowboys connection is not leaving him behind.

The Chiefs' running back coach, DeMarco Murray, was a former Cowboys player. 

And Murray broke Emmitt Smith's single-season franchise rushing record of 377 attempts for rushing 1,773 yards in 1995, with a stellar campaign in 2014, with 392 attempts for 1,845 rushing yards.

E. J. Smith went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Chiefs. He made the announcement public with a post on Instagram. 

“Excited to officially sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent. Nothing is given. Everything is earned. I’m ready to work, learn, and prove myself every single day,” E. J. Smith's Instagram post read.

Under head coach Andy Reid, E. J. Smith enters the crowded room of running backs with rookie Emmett Johnson, Emari Demercado and ShunDerrick Powell, and the recent addition of Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III.

He will have to compete with them to earn a spot on the roster ahead of the 2026 season, according to Clutch Points.

E. J. Smith recorded 207 attempts for 969 rushing yards across six college seasons, split between Stanford and Texas A&M.

Signing with the Cowboys would have put the spotlight on E. J. Smith, along with the pressure of living up to his Hall of Fame father’s history.

That said, the Cowboys moved quickly after the 2026 NFL Draft, making their post-draft signings within hours.

Cowboys' Undrafted Free Agents Signing Post-Draft

The Dallas Cowboys signed TCU Horned Frogs tight end D.J. Rogers and SMU WR Jordan Hudson as undrafted free agents post-draft.

With Jake Ferguson as the starter and Luke Schoonmaker as the key backup, adding D.J. Rogers to the mix will put him in a position to compete for a roster or practice squad spot.

Jordan Hudson is a Texas native who played for TCU before transferring to SMU to finish his collegiate career.

Apart from them, the Boys also signed tight end Michael Trigg from Baylor. He comes in with 108 receptions, 1,419 yards and 14 touchdowns.

With the Cowboys focusing primarily on the defense in the 2026 NFL Draft, they also spent necessary thought on considering prospective offense additions.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore