When Emari Demercado arrived at the Chiefs’ training camp, he came with a simple mission: compete. A year ago, his defining moment with the Arizona Cardinals, a 72-yard touchdown, was taken away and ruled a fumble. Even with respectable numbers as a running back, that moment was what fans remembered him for. That’s why it wasn’t shocking to see him perform well in camp.
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“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.
But when the August 30th deadline came, the Chiefs made a surprise decision. The high-performing running back would be waived! One team’s loss is another team’s gain, right?
That’s what the Cowboys believed. Dallas has picked up running back Emari Demercado after Kansas City placed him on waivers during its final roster cuts.
The Cowboys had just 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 in a running back room that would eventually include Kenneth Walker, Emmett Johnson, and Brashard Smith. And early on in camp, he seemed to be impressive. Even head coach Andy Reid thought so.
“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.
In a squad that was already suffering from injuries, Reid had the option of keeping Demarcado as a pass blocker, protecting Patrick Mahomes. But following a few questionable choices from the Chiefs, he ended up on the waiver list.
The Cowboys wasted no time. On the second day of waivers, the team quietly placed backup QB Joe Milton III on the waiver list, leaving Howell in the QB2 spot. That move opened the door for Demarcado’s entry into the team.
Even though he may play second fiddle to Malik Davis, he remains a valuable addition to the team, especially with the attitude he’s showed with the Chiefs.
“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.
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.