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Kansas City Chiefs scoop up the son of a legendary Pro Football Hall of Famer that the rest of the NFL forgot to draft

Sep 10, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back E.J. Smith (22) during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium. Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

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Kansas City Chiefs scoop up the son of a legendary Pro Football Hall of Famer that the rest of the NFL forgot to draft

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Charles Goldman | Last updated Apr 26, 2026 12:33 PM ET

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The Kansas City Chiefs have signed the son of Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith on an undrafted free agent contract. E.J. Smith will get a chance to be coached by another Cowboys legend in Chiefs RBs coach DeMarco Murray.

The Kansas City Chiefs are continuing to build up their 90-man offseason roster ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

One of the themes of the draft and post-draft process so far? Improve and invest in the running back position. One of the players they’ve managed to secure as an undrafted free agent has an NFC East franchise in shambles. Why, though? The Dallas Cowboys fumbled the golden opportunity to sign the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Emmitt Smith, the league’s rushing leader.

Chiefs to sign E.J. Smith, son of NFL all-time leading rusher RB Emmitt Smith, on UDFA deal

E.J. Smith announced the news that he would sign with the Chiefs on Instagram. His caption shows exactly why he’s not sweating going undrafted and why he’s ready to fight for a chance to make the Kansas City 53-man roster.

“Excited to officially sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent,” Smith posted on Instagram. “Nothing is given. Everything is earned. I’m ready to work, learn, and prove myself every single day. Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and everyone who believed in me and pushed me to this moment. The journey hasn’t been easy, but every challenge prepared me for this next step. Grateful is an understatement. All glory to God for this opportunity. Let’s get it Chiefs Kingdom.”

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Smith played college football at Stanford for four seasons before transferring to Texas A&M for his final two collegiate seasons. He was mostly used as a rotational back during his college career. Listed at 6-foot and 208 pounds, Smith has played in 48 career games. However, he’s never had more than 86 touches in a single season or 460 scrimmage yards in a single season. That means there’s a lot of tread left on the tires here, though he did face a season-ending injury in 2022.

New Chiefs RB E.J. Smith’s college career stats

2020 Stanford: Three receptions for 7 yards.
2021 Stanford: 26 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown. 15 receptions for 74 yards.
2022 Stanford: 30 carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Eight receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown.
2023 Stanford: 53 carries for 218 yards and one touchdown. 33 receptions for 242 yards.
2024 Texas A&M: 54 carries for 207 yards. Eight receptions for 66 yards.
2025 Texas A&M: 44 carries for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Four receptions for 18 yards.

Smith wants to blaze his own trail and not walk in his father’s shadow. It’s admittedly a pretty heavy shadow. Emmitt is a three-time Super Bowl Champion, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, NFL MVP, Five-Time All-Pro, Eight-Time Pro Bowler, Four-Time NFL Rushing Leader, and Three-Time Rushing Touchdown Leader. He has the most career rushing yards, attempts, and rushing touchdowns in NFL history.

You can rest assured that new Chiefs RBs coach DeMarco Murray had a lot to do with this signing. Murray played for the Cowboys and broke Emmitt Smith’s single-season rushing record back in 2014, with 1,854 yards.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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