Cowboys 'No Visit' Move Causes Jeanty 'Dope' Reaction

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys need a running back and Ashton Jeanty - the Frisco Kid as he'd be coming home if "America's Team'' selects him in the upcoming NFL Draft - obviously fits the bill.

Former head coach Mike McCarthy went with a "running back by committee" approach in 2024, but it seems new boss Brian Schottenheimer will look in a new direction in 2025.

Ezekiel Elliott is gone. Rico Dowdle, who hits free agency on March 12, could be.

The retirement of perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin won't made upgrading the running game any easier, but the Cowboys have the 12th overall pick in next month's NFL Draft and the Jeanty rumors keep building momentum.

Enter Ashton ... but why didn't Dallas meet with him at last week's NFL Scouting Combine? And what is his reaction to that fact?

First of all, in addition to Jeanty being eligible to make a "Top 30 visit" to The Star to meet with the Cowboys, our Mike Fisher notes that he can also be a part of Dallas Day.

So the Cowboys and Jeanty will definitely be getting to know one another, one way or the other.

Meanwhile, Jeanty said he did not meet with the Cowboys at the Scouting Combine, but did talk with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. 

He will work out for NFL at Boise State's "Pro Day" March 26 in Idaho. ... and the Cowboys can take a look at him at that time, too.

What's the Frisco Kid's reaction to no Combine visit, though?

He gets it.

"It'd be dope,'' he said of the reality of a situation that could have him playing under new Dallas coordinator Klayton Adams, a run-first guy who just happens to also be a Boise State guy.

Jeanty finished his final collegiate season with 2,601 rushing yards, just 27 yards short of Barry Sanders' all-time NCAA record. Jeanty added 29 rushing touchdowns on the year. 

Last season, Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging a whopping 7.0 yards per carry and finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado's Travis Hunter.

At the Super Bowl, Jeanty compared himself to a pretty good running back from the Cowboys' past ... Emmitt Smith.

"People say I'm a more explosive Emmitt Smith," he said in New Orleans, "so I'm going to go with that."

The two have similar size - Emmitt 5-9, 200; Jeanty 5-9 215 - and now the Boise product is following a familiar path to the NFL. ... after he eventually visits with Emmitt's old team.