As the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys for more than a decade, Emmitt Smith knows it all. Growing pains, heartbreaking defeats and most importantly, championship glory.
When Smith entered the NFL as a rookie in 1990, the Cowboys were a team in transition. Jerry Jones had only purchased the team one year earlier. Head coach Jimmy Johnson was only in his second year at the helm. Quarterback Troy Aikman, the No. 1 pick in 1989, was coming off a horrendous rookie year that saw him lose each of his 11 starts.
Drafting Smith 17th overall in 1990 was the final step necessary to help the Cowboys assemble a future NFC powerhouse. After finishing 7-9 in Smith’s rookie year, Dallas emerged as the NFL’s next great dynasty.
Led by the iconic “Triplets” of Smith, Aikman and star wide receiver Michael Irvin, the 1992 Cowboys reached the mountaintop with a 52-17 blowout win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl in Super Bowl 27.
The Cowboys successfully defended the Lombardi Trophy in 1993. Two years later, they achieved dynasty status by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, their third title in four years.
Fast forward to 2026. The Cowboys haven’t reached the NFC Championship Game since their last Super Bowl triumph in 1995.
With the current group sitting at 2-4, the Cowboys are in danger of missing the postseason for the third straight year. Indeed, Monday night’s road game against the Philadelphia Eagles is a must-win.
Smith spoke exclusively to Men’s Journal on behalf of AT&T around his Dancing with the Stars appearance. Additionally, he shared his takes on the Cowboys’ early-season struggles, reflected on the moment when he broke Walter Payton’s rushing record and named the one active NFL running back who might dethrone him as the all-time rushing king.
Cowboys Struggles on Defense
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Entering Monday’s contest against Philly, the Cowboys have allowed 26.5 points per game and the third-most yards per contest (382.5) under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Despite the sloppy start, Smith sees similarities with Brian Schottenheimer’s squad and the ’90s Super Bowl championship teams.
“I see offensively, I see balance,” Smith said. “I see the Cowboys having the ability to run the ball at times, and I see Dak (Prescott) throwing the ball fairly well, although he didn’t play well in this last game. But the Cowboys have put up 30-some, 20 and 30-some points, and have lost games putting up 20 and 30-some points, which is unfortunate.”
However, Smith admits that the Cowboys’ struggles on defense weren’t something he experienced during his 13-year tenure.
“There’s nothing that they’re doing defensively that would remind me of any defensive team that I was on,” Smith said. “I think our defense— I can’t recall our defense absolutely being this bad. But people have to understand that the Cowboys defense is somewhat depleted in the secondary. And that makes it very tough…to scheme, to do certain things defensively.”
Smith believes that the key to a turnaround lies within the secondary, following the blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for standout cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
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“I think that’s a big-time addition. I can see Joey Porter helping the whole defense by being able to cover. The best wide receiver on the football field one-on-one, and let the chips fall where they may.
“Dropping Caleb Downs into the box to help support the run game while they roll in coverage with (DaRon) Bland and the other safety…that’s a different type of scheme. That’s a different type of approach. But when you don’t have the support behind it in the secondary because your secondary is somewhat depleted, it makes it tough to run that risk.”
Smith added that with the Cowboys’ defense suffering numerous injuries, including linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, Parker’s group simply has to figure out how “aggressive” they want to play.
“So I think the first month of the Cowboys was being vanilla, being basic,” Smith continued. “We’ve seen some glimpses of good things happening with linebacker play, but (DeMarvion) Overshown is not even on the football field, and a couple other guys are not on the football field.
“Defensively, we don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle in place, even though the Giants did a number on us with those pieces of the puzzle in place. So again, it’s a philosophy thing; it’s how aggressive the Cowboys want to be and how much risk they really want to take on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, I think we just (stay) the course.”
Breaking Walter Payton’s Rushing Record: ‘I Wish That He Could Have Been There’
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When Walter Payton retired in 1988, he was the NFL’s all-time rushing leader with 16,726 yards. Detroit Lions icon Barry Sanders looked poised to break the record, only to unexpectedly retire in his prime at age 31 in 1999, finishing with 15,269 rushing yards.
Of course, Smith’s longevity and consistency would keep him in the race to break the record.
During the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ Oct. 27, 2002, home game at Texas Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith became the new rushing leader with an 11-yard run. Payton’s family was in attendance for the historic moment.
Smith, who grew up idolizing the Chicago Bears legend, reflected on what went through his mind when he embraced Payton’s family members after the historic moment.
“You know, the only thing that went through my mind is that I wish Walter would have been there to celebrate with me,” Smith said. “But to honor his wife and his kids and his family, the way that we did it, I thought it was the classiest thing I could have ever done. Because he was one of my heroes. He was the running back that paved the way, along with Jim Brown.
“Not forgetting Jim Brown at all, but he (Payton) was the one for me that I connected with at a young age…those were the things that went through my mind. How blessed I was to even have the opportunity to even do it. And to get it done in Dallas, Texas, in front of our home crowd, was even more special…I wish that he could have been there to celebrate with me. Because I would have loved to give him a big hug.”
‘Derrick Henry Is the Next Man Up’
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Among active NFL running backs, Derrick Henry leads the field by a wide margin with 13,597 yards (and counting). No other NFL running back has reached the 10,000 milestone.
Smith’s 164 rushing touchdowns hasn’t been challenged, either. LaDainian Tomlinson is a distant second on the career leaderboard with 145, though Henry is lurking behind him with 129.
Asked if there was one active NFL running back who could challenge Smith’s rushing crown, the three-time Super Bowl champion didn’t hesitate to mention the Baltimore Ravens superstar.
“It’s Derrick Henry by far,” Smith said. “Right now he’s the closest to it. He’s the next man up, put it that way. Adrian Peterson was that man, then Frank Gore was that man. I mean, Derrick Henry is the next man up, and he has an opportunity to do that. He’s a bigger back. He takes great care of his body. He’s still running at a high level.”
“I think he’s going to get to top three all time,” Smith added. “He should at least pass Walter Payton, I think. It’s going to be quite the race.”
