The Dallas Cowboys found their new backup running back on the waiver wire. According to Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper, Dallas has picked up running back Emari Demercado after Kansas City placed him on waivers during its final roster cuts.
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The timing was notable for the Cowboys. Dallas had moved on from running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah on Sunday, leaving Malik Davis as the only established option behind starting running back Javonte Williams. Demercado now gives the team another experienced back heading into the regular season.
He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted player from TCU in 2023 and signed with Arizona. Over three seasons with the Cardinals, he ran 126 times for 819 yards and three touchdowns, while catching 50 passes for 324 yards and another score. Most of his work came as a change-of-pace back behind James Conner.
He left Arizona this offseason on a one-year, $1.25 million contract with Kansas City, signed in March as insurance in a running back room that would eventually include Kenneth Walker, Emmett Johnson, and Brashard Smith. Demercado spoke about the mentality he brought into that crowded competition during training camp.
“I mean, obviously we always talk about pass protection, so that’s been my thing. But, as far as the (RB) room, that’s what you want. You want to compete. That brings out the best of everybody in the room,” Demercado said.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid liked what he saw from Demercado throughout camp, specifically praising the trait that made him valuable in Arizona.
“I like the pass protection. He’s not going to bounce anything; he sees it, he lowers it, and he hits it in the run game; I think that’s important,” Reid said.
Even with that endorsement, the numbers ultimately worked against him. Reid acknowledged after Kansas City’s preseason finale against Seattle that difficult roster decisions were coming for several players who had performed well in camp, and Demercado ended up among the casualties once final cuts arrived.
Demercado also carried a well-known moment into this training camp from his final season in Arizona. During a Week 5 game against the Titans last year, he let go of the ball just before crossing the goal line, an error that led to then-Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon getting in his face and making contact with him on the sideline. Gannon was later fined $100,000 by the team for the incident.
After arriving in Kansas City, Demercado spoke about that moment himself and made it clear that one mistake would not decide how his career turned out.
“I can’t expect myself to be perfect. I put who I am back on tape. You make one mistake and the whole world kind of flames you for it,” he said.
He now joins his third team in four seasons, with Dallas becoming his latest stop. The move also puts him into a Cowboys backfield that has changed considerably in just a couple of days.
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Javonte Williams is not going anywhere in Dallas. He carried the ball 252 times last season for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 137 more yards and two scores. The Cowboys saw enough to lock him up on a three-year, $24 million extension back in February. He walks into 2026 as the clear lead back.
The Cowboys needed more experienced depth behind Williams after releasing Blue and Mafah over the weekend. Demercado gives Dallas another option with experience as both a runner and receiver, while his work in pass protection and ability to make himself available as a check-down target could be particularly useful in passing situations.
That reputation for steady, detail-oriented play is what both Arizona and Kansas City valued him for, and it’s the same quality Demercado described building throughout his time in Chiefs camp.
“It was a lot of work. But that’s why this is such a great franchise. They know how to put in the work and to get where you want to go,” Demercado said.
Dallas will need Demercado to pick things up quickly with Week 1 approaching. His arrival has changed the look of the Cowboys’ backfield, and how quickly he settles into the offense could determine how much the team uses him behind its newly extended starter. Dallas opens the regular season on September 13 against the New York Giants.