The Dallas Cowboys found a new running back on the NFL waiver wire to begin this week.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Cowboys claimed Kansas City Chiefs running back Emari Demercado off waivers. Dallas will have to sign Demercado to its 53-man roster.
The 27-year-old didn’t make the Chiefs roster Sunday. All 32 NFL teams cut their rosters to 53 players by 6 pm ET on August 30. The Cowboys will have to release a player off their 53-man roster to squeeze Demercado onto theirs.
Dallas claimed Demercado off waivers after cutting running back Jaydon Blue Sunday. The Cowboys had just two running backs on their initial 53-man roster — Javonte Williams and Malik Davis.
While the running back spent the offseason and training camp with Kansas City, he’s played his entire regular season career with the Arizona Cardinals. He played 40 games for the Cardinals from 2023-25.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Demercado signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. While pundits didn’t expect him to be selected, he received some praise during the draft process for his running ability and versatility.
“Demercado is a well-built runner who plays with good balance through contact. He has the ability to finish with forward lean,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “His vision and operation time are just average, which limits his ability to rip off chunk runs, but he does a nice job of getting what is there.
“His kick-return experience and third-down potential could give him a slight advantage if he goes head-to-head for the RB4 spot on a roster.”