Radio Row at the Super Bowl festivities in New Orleans, Lousiana is a great time for media to catch up with athletes and celebrities from all different sports.
Reporters just happened to find Cowboys legend and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith. They asked him about one of the most popular draft names tied to the Cowboys: Boise State University RB Ashton Jeanty.
The Cowboys have lacked explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball, and many believe they need to inject talent into the running back room.
Jeanty is the player they want, but Emmitt Smith had an interesting opinion when asked if the Cowboys should use the 12th overall pick on him.
They Lack Vital Pieces
If he comes to the Cowboys right now, he’s (Ashton Jeanty) is going to get beat up. I don’t think we’re ready. We don’t have the right mindset. We don’t have the right commitments.
Smith is likely referring to the fact that the Cowboys have not committed to the running game in recent years. Not being able to run the ball on top of not being able to stop the run is not a good combination, and is one of the main reasons the team hasn’t seen more playoff success.
I’m not so sure Emmitt’s thinking is correct here. We can’t say the Cowboys aren’t committed to the running game because we haven’t yet seen how new HC Brian Schottenheimer is going to deploy the rushing attack.
New OC Klayton Adams comes from a rushing scheme in Arizona that balances on creativity and misdirection. Imagine Jeanty in a better blocking scheme than at Boise State University.
It Doesn’t Matter Who Is Back There
I think we’re drafting… we’re drafting exciting pieces… exciting pieces that get fans all… oh we got Ashton Jeanty… oh we are going to be able to run the ball.
Exciting pieces? What is he talking about? Since 2011, the Cowboys have drafted nine offensive linemen in the first three rounds, compared to just five running backs or wide receivers.
If we count the past five years, that number shrinks to just two players: WR CeeDee Lamb in the first round in 2020 and WR Jalen Tolbert in the third round of 2022.
You trying to tell me Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle could not carry the team? No. There was no commitment to run the football. And when there was a commitment, when Dak Prescott went down, Rico ran the ball well. So don’t tell me we can’t run the football. Dak went down. They shifted from Cooper Rush… they brought the passes down… and created more runs for the running game.
We’ve seen running backs carry a team, but I don’t think Elliott could do that at this stage of his career, and Dowdle did look good once he was made the lead back.
However, I don’t think it’s that simple. Maybe the Cowboys were forced get better running the football because of Prescott’s injury, but it’s more of a hindsight is 20/20 situation.
Suggesting that Prescott throw the ball less wasn’t a theme between 2021-2023 when the Cowboys had one of the most lethal passing offenses in the NFL, so it shouldn’t be brought up just because the passing offense began to struggle.
Maybe they should try having more than just WR CeeDee Lamb as a viable weapon on the outside. That would be a good place to start.
They Need To Buck League Trends
And then you start having this level of balance. And start to show some kind of consistency. Need to do that the whole entire year. That’s the formula that I’m talking about. And so quit trying to do what everyone else is doing in the NFL. Your quarterback is not Patrick Mahomes, he’s not Josh Allen, he’s not Joe Burrow. He’s Dak Prescott.
Here is where I actually agree with Emmitt. The Cowboys offense needs balance. Throwing the ball all over the place is not the best utilization of Prescott’s abilities.
He plays better when the rushing attack is a threat to the defense. It opens up passing lanes, and let’s Prescott throw out of play action, something he does better than most in the NFL.
These words might be the words of an old-head, but the Cowboys would be wise to at least listen to what the greatest running back of all time has to say about the run game.