Dallas Cowboys Host E.J. Smith at 2026 Pre-Draft Workout

The Dallas Cowboys brought a familiar last name to The Star on Thursday, hosting Texas A&M running back E.J. Smith — son of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith — at their invite-only pre-draft workout for local college prospects. Coach Brian Schottenheimer summed up the moment in two words: “Very cool.” The visit puts a sentimental storyline squarely in the middle of Dallas’s 2026 NFL Draft preparation.

E.J. Smith played his college ball at Stanford before transferring to Texas A&M, giving him the kind of regional tie that fits the Cowboys’ long-standing “Dallas Day” philosophy. The workout was held at The Star in Frisco, the team’s training facility, and was closed to the general public — an exclusive setting the Cowboys have built into a genuine scouting edge over the years.

Why the Dallas Cowboys Treat Dallas Day as a Draft Advantage

The Dallas Cowboys have deliberately positioned their annual local workout as a competitive recruiting tool, pulling in prospects from top college programs who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth footprint. The premise is straightforward: players with deep Texas roots carry built-in motivation to wear the star, and the Cowboys front office has leaned into that pull hard.

Schottenheimer, entering his first full offseason as head coach after replacing Mike McCarthy, made clear the staff takes the event seriously as a talent evaluation session — not just a feel-good photo opportunity. Breaking down the advanced metrics on running backs in this draft class, the numbers reveal a pattern: Day 3 value at the position is unusually deep in 2026, which makes a workout like this one worth more than it might look on the surface. A team can find a roster contributor — maybe even a starter — well outside the first two rounds if the evaluation process is thorough.

The Cowboys’ draft strategy analysis this cycle has centered on building competition at several skill positions, and the backfield is no exception. Schottenheimer told reporters the staff had watched film on quarterback Sam Howell and noted the appeal of pairing Howell with Joe Milton in a competition. “Sam is a guy we watched film and it was like, ‘Man, if we could have Sam Howell and Joe Milton on this football team? Give those guys a chance to compete,'” Schottenheimer said. That quarterback situation adds context to every other roster decision Dallas makes this spring, including what they do at running back.

E.J. Smith’s Background and What He Brings to the Table

E.J. Smith is not riding his father’s name into the league — the film shows a back with legitimate receiving chops out of the backfield and enough lateral quickness to work in zone-heavy schemes. His Stanford-to-Texas A&M path gave him exposure to two very different offensive systems, which matters when a staff is evaluating scheme fit during pre-draft visits.

Emmitt Smith’s legacy in Dallas is about as deep as it gets in NFL history — three Super Bowl rings, the all-time rushing record, and a Hall of Fame bust with a Cowboys star on the helmet. That history does not guarantee E.J. a roster spot, but it absolutely guarantees the Cowboys will give his tape a long, honest look. Any front office that passed on a prospect with that name and that skill set without a thorough evaluation would have a hard time explaining the decision to a fanbase that still chants his father’s number on gameday.

The salary cap implications of adding a late-round running back are minimal — rookie contracts at the position are among the cheapest in the league — which means the Cowboys can carry E.J. Smith on the roster bubble without significant financial risk if they like what they see from Thursday’s workout and subsequent visits.

AT&T Stadium, Super Bowl History, and the Cowboys’ Bigger Picture

Dallas’s pre-draft activity is unfolding against a broader backdrop worth noting: AT&T Stadium has hosted just one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLV in 2011, when Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCarthy, who spent years as the Cowboys’ head coach before being let go, has since joined Pittsburgh’s staff — a detail that adds a layer of irony to the whole situation. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles opened in 2020 and is already scheduled to host its second Super Bowl in 2027.

For a franchise that markets itself as America’s Team and plays in one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the world, that Super Bowl hosting gap stings. The Cowboys’ defensive scheme breakdown and offensive retooling under Schottenheimer are both pointed at closing that gap on the field first — but the stadium’s place in the big-game rotation is a separate conversation happening at the league office level, not in Frisco.

Key Developments from Dallas Cowboys Draft Prep

• Coach Brian Schottenheimer described E.J. Smith’s workout attendance as “Very cool,” signaling genuine enthusiasm rather than a routine courtesy invite.
• The Cowboys specifically cited their ability to attract high-quality local prospects from top national college programs as a structural advantage of the Dallas Day format.
• Schottenheimer named Sam Howell and Joe Milton as a quarterback pairing he wants to bring in for competition, framing it as a film-driven decision rather than a name-recognition move.
• AT&T Stadium’s lone Super Bowl hosting credit dates to 2011 — Super Bowl XLV — while newer venues like SoFi Stadium are already lapping it in big-game assignments.
• Mike McCarthy, the coach who led Green Bay to victory at AT&T Stadium in Super Bowl XLV, has now joined the Pittsburgh Steelers’ staff — the same team he beat in that game.

What Happens Next for the Cowboys This Offseason?

The Dallas Cowboys will continue pre-draft visits and workouts through late April ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Schottenheimer’s staff is clearly building a competition-first culture at multiple positions — quarterback, running back, and likely elsewhere on the depth chart. Based on available data from this offseason, the Cowboys are not handing roster spots to anyone, legacy name or not.

E.J. Smith’s draft stock heading into April projects him as a Day 3 candidate — a fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-round pick in most boards — which aligns perfectly with the kind of low-risk, high-upside addition a team can stash on a 53-man roster or practice squad. If the Cowboys pull the trigger on him at any point during draft weekend, the story writes itself. If they pass, the Dallas Day workout still served its purpose: thorough evaluation, no shortcuts.

The broader draft strategy analysis for Dallas points toward a team trying to reload at skill positions while managing a complex salary cap situation. Quarterback competition, running back depth, and the looming question of what this roster looks like in September all converge over the next three weeks. Schottenheimer’s first draft as Cowboys head coach will tell fans a lot about where this rebuild is actually headed.

Jake Whitmore

Jake Whitmore is a small-town Texas reporter who worked his way up from covering Friday night high school football to the NFL. With over nine years in sports journalism, Jake writes like he is talking to fans at a tailgate -- direct, passionate, and full of the enthusiasm that makes football Sundays special. He covers game previews, roster moves, and the fan perspective on every major NFL storyline.