E.J. Smith, the son of Cowboys Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, attended the Dallas Cowboys’ invite-only workout for local college players on Thursday.
The workout was held at The Star.
E.J. Smith starred in high school at Jesuit in Dallas, before playing college football at Stanford and Texas A&M.
Coach Schottenheimer on Smith
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke about E.J. Smith. “Very cool,” Schottenheimer said. “You know me, man, I’m family. I’m all family.”
Schottenheimer added, “And you watch his film and he was an incredible short-yardage runner, powerful. But, yeah, just watching him move, seeing him in person, the type of young man he is, it’s cool.”
Dallas Day and Local Talent
The Cowboys view their “Dallas Day” workout as an advantage. This is due to the quality of players from the area who play in the top colleges across the country.
The Cowboys are also able to pull in prospects from SMU, TCU and North Texas for workouts.
This year, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Miami centre James Brockermeyer attended.
Not all of the players work out. Some players with higher grades only visit with the scouts and coaches.
Each team is allowed 30 national visitors. The Cowboys are able to use the Dallas Day designation on some of the top prospects.
“We multiply our top 30,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re like top 45, top 48, whatever it is. And it’s because of the fact that we’ve got that location. And our scouting staff does a great job.”
AT&T Stadium’s Super Bowl Bid
AT&T Stadium opened in 2009. The hope was that it would become part of the unofficial rotation for the NFL’s big game.
It has hosted it only once, Super Bowl XLV in 2011. The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones said, “I will say with all these new stadiums coming on board, that makes it hard.” He added that when a team builds a new stadium, a Super Bowl is often awarded.
AT&T Stadium will host nine World Cup matches this summer. In February, the Dallas Stars will play a Stadium Series game there. The Final Four will return in 2030.
Owner and general manager Jones said, “It has to be right. It has to be under the right conditions. There are a lot of nuances and responsibilities that teams and markets take on when you do a Super Bowl. We certainly feel that we can do one. We’ll step up there at the right times.”