For five years, the Dallas Cowboys kept re-signing and re-signing Rico Dowdle during free agency, even when they knew he wouldn’t see much playing time.

This past season, of course, Dowdle finally got his chance to shine after the Ezekiel Elliott reunion experiment proved to be a massive mistake and made the most of it, rushing for a career-high 1,079 yards with a pair of touchdowns and adding another 249 yards and three scores on 39 receptions.

So, naturally, Jerry Jones opted not to bring Dowdle this time around, instead letting him sign with the Carolina Panthers for a measly $2.75 million.

With both Zeke and Dowdle out of the picture, thus leaving only Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis in the running back room, Dallas brought in the combo of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.

But while both are solid enough options, one has to assume the Cowboys will still go searching for a running back in next month’s draft.

And with this year’s class being one of the deepest at the position in recent memory, Jones and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer will have plenty from which to choose, one of whom is scheduled to meet with the team soon and seems enamored with the thought of staying in the area in which he finished his collegiate career.

Brashard Smith “fell in love with Dallas” during his lone season at SMU

It’s no secret that Jerry Jones likes players with a connection to Dallas, and Brashard Smith certainly has that.

After spending the first three years of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, with whom he played wide receiver and special teams, Smith transferred to SMU ahead of the 2024 campaign and transitioned to running back, a move that worked out quite well for all involved.

In helping the Mustangs to an ACC title and a berth in the College Football Playoff, the Florida native rushed for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns and used his experience as a receiver to add 327 yards and four scores on 39 receptions, earning First-Team All-ACC honors for his efforts.

Smith, currently the 16th-ranked running back in this year’s draft at NFL.com, recently revealed that he has top 30 visits scheduled with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Houston Texans. He also stated that he’s set to meet with the Cowboys on “Dallas Day,” which is reserved for local prospects.

When asked by Cowboys beat reporter Joseph Hoyt about the prospect of remaining in Big D to begin his pro career, Smith replied, “I fell in love with Dallas.”

So, let’s go ahead and consider Jerry Jones immediately intrigued.

And what’s not to be intrigued about? The aforementioned statistics speak for themselves, and Smith only helped his draft status by running the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine in 4.39 seconds, adding a 32.5-inch vertical jump and 9-foot-9-inch broad jump.

Furthermore, with such a deep class and Smith having just one year of experience at the running back position, the Cowboys could likely scoop him up in the later rounds. So, this situation is certainly worth monitoring.