The Dallas Cowboys have made big moves on Thursday ahead of the team’s bout against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers later today.
The team have activated All-Pro guard Tyler Smith off of injured reserve, and simultaneously released running back Emari Demercado, as reported by Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
Tyler Goodson is now officially RB2.
“The Cowboys waived RB Emari Demercado to make room for Tyler Smith, whom they activated off IR.”
As a result, per Hoyt, the Cowboys have a new second-string running back.
“Tyler Goodson is now officially RB2.”
Emari Demercado Added Little to the Run Game
To-date, Dallas’ running game has been very much a one-man show in 2026, with Javonte Williams leading the way with 231 rushing yards and quarterback Dak Prescott coming second with 66.
Indeed, whilst Demercado started the season as RB2, Goodson has already usurped the former Arizona Cardinal in terms of touches, having carried the ball 9 times to Demercado’s 5, and gained over double the rushing yards: 34 to 15.
Demercado’s time in Phoenix was very mixed, as he eventually saw his time as the starting back in lieu of James Conner and Trey Benson cut in favor of Bam Knight. Given his lack of both usage and production thus far this season, it is hardly a shock to see him cast out the picture at such an early stage.
How Will These Moves Affect the Cowboys?
The likely result of this will have ex-New York Jet Israel Abanikanda as a game-day elevation for this evening alongside Williams and Goodson, although the Cowboys could decide to roll on with just the duo by themselves alongside fullback Hunter Luepke and all-purpose offensive weapon Kavontae Turpin, who despite being primarily a receiver and returner has taken snaps at RB.
On the other side, this is great news for Dallas’ offensive line, which has been decently strong in pass protection but very poor in the run game, ranking 31st in ESPN’s advanced offensive line metric, ‘run-block-win-rate’.
Smith has long been one of the best interior offensive linemen in football, and he will re-take his usual spot at left guard ahead of T.J. Bass, who had been deputizing for him in the meantime.
Cowboys Release 4th Year Running Back As All-Pro Activated Off IR