Getty Ito Smith #25 of the Atlanta Falcons attempts to break a tackle by Byron Jones #31 of the Dallas Cowboys.
Ezekiel Elliott’s creaky knee and an apparent injury to Tony Pollard have prompted an addition to the Dallas Cowboys backfield.
The Cowboys signed former Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith to the practice squad, the team announced December 8. This, the corresponding transaction after Dallas released defensive lineman Breeland Speaks on Monday, December 6.
Smith becomes the second RB to land on the Cowboys’ taxi squad, joining undrafted rookie JaQuan Hardy. The club currently has three runners on its 53-man active roster: Elliott, Pollard, and Corey Clement.
In related roster news, the Cowboys on Tuesday activated offensive tackle Terence Steele, tight end Blake Jarwin, and wide receiver T.J. Vasher from the Reserve/COVID-19 list while restoring WR Robert Foster to the practice squad. Jarwin and Vasher reverted back to injured reserve and Reserve/Non-Football Injury lists, respectively.
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Background on Smith
Chosen in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft, Smith spent his first three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, posting 175 carries for 689 rushing yards and six touchdowns across 35 appearances. He chipped in 55 receptions for 314 scoreless yards.
Smith was waived by Atlanta last April and had subsequent cups of coffee with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings in August before toiling away on the unrestricted free agent market.
The 26-year-old was a compiler during his collegiate career at Southern Miss, where he totaled 5,984 yards from scrimmage (4,538 rushing, 1,446 receiving) and 49 TDs, earning first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2017.
“Ito Smith is an excellent complementary piece to a bigger back that can handle the brunt of the dirty work,” then-Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller wrote in April 2018. “Smith is a valuable offensive weapon and can excel with roughly 10-15 schemed touches a game that utilize him as an explosive player in space. He’ll struggle to generate significant and consistent yards as a runner between the tackles, but his pacing and vision on the edge is a reliable counter-piece to a starting back.”
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Pollard Expected to be OK
Following its mini-bye, the Cowboys returned to practice Wednesday to begin full-scale preparations for its Week 14 road showdown against Washington. On-site reporters spotted Pollard working off to the side with director of rehabilitation Britt Brown, necessitating an inquiry on his status.
Pollard led Dallas in rushing yards amid last week’s victory at New Orleans. The dynamic third-year pro is expected to split touches in a committee approach with Elliott, who’s battling a bone bruise in his knee, team owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed.
“That’s not necessarily because of Zeke. We just want him to have the ball more,” Jones said December 7 on 105.3 The Fan, adding, “Going into games, relative to this time last year or even relative to the start of the season, we’ve planned on having Pollard touch the ball anywhere from five to 10 more times per game. So, that is the plan, and that is generally what you’re trying to do.”