EJ Smith knows the odds are stacked against him.
As an undrafted free agent signing coming off of a college career full of injuries, Smith knows where he stands heading into his first NFL training camp. The rookie running back, son of Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, signed with Kansas City and is still ready to seize the opportunity in front of him, and made that clear as he addressed reporters from Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri.
"It's been a great opportunity to be out here, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. I'm very grateful for the opportunity," Smith said. "A lot of people didn't think I'd be here today, just through the amount of injuries I've went through in college and everything of that nature. Just being out here, being able to practice with these guys and getting better every day is a blessing for sure."
Smith says he dealt with four injuries in college. The worst ended his season in late September 202, one that cut short a promising junior year at Stanford where he'd run for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns on 30 carries in just 2 games before going down. He spent four years at Stanford before transferring to Texas A&M for his final two seasons, but in all that time, he was never more than a receiving back with a part-time workload, with a career-high of 460 yards from scrimmage (2023).
"I went through about four injuries throughout my college career," Smith said, "and so I just made me show more perseverance, made me more resilient, and it prepared me for this moment and for this opportunity."
Building his own legacy
Smith’s last name carries weight, and the son of the Dallas Cowboys legend has been clear about wanting to chart his own path. He’s often talked about “building his own legacy,” and he was asked about it again on Monday.
"Y'all know who my dad is. He was a first-rounder. I'm an undrafted guy, so my path is already different from his," Smith said. "So just throughout my journey, just making sure I paved my own path, doing it my way and learning from him and through his lessons as well, it's very important for me. As a kid, my dad always told me to build my own legacy and it's my life. So making the best out of it."
Part of what drew Smith to Kansas City was a familiar voice. Chiefs running backs coach DeMarco Murray recruited him out of Dallas' Jesuit College Prep, and Murray was the first call after the draft. "It was awesome to hear him. He recruited me out of high school," Smith said, "so just hearing his voice, talking to him, knowing that he was going to be my running backs coach, I was excited for the opportunity."
A remade running backs room
The room Smith walks into looks nothing like it did a year ago. After moving on from Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker III to lead the backfield and added Emari Demercado from Arizona for a complementary role. They also spent a fifth-round pick on Nebraska's Emmett Johnson and brought in two undrafted free agents in Smith and Jaydn Ott, which leaves three rookies fighting for whatever's left over from the top of the depth chart.
"Most definitely, there's competition. Competition makes us better, and so we push each other every day," Smith said when asked about the trio of rookies in camp. "Whenever we have questions, we already talk to each other about it, making sure we know our assignments, we know our alignments, before we get on the field. So it's really a brotherhood, making sure that we prepare, we execute, and that we show effort on the field is very important — just for the running back room period. We're the example. Even though we are rookies, there are still people looking at us to do something."
One thing Smith has going for him is an excellent understanding of what it’s going to take to make the team. He’s already saying (and doing) all of the right things, knowing that his way onto the roster will come via special teams. And coordinator Dave Toub has already floated him as a return specialist option. "My versatility. They love hard workers here, guys that grind, hustle every play, show great effort. And so I believe I'm that guy," Smith said. "So wherever they need me to be utilized, I'm there. I'm ready for it."
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