The Dallas Cowboys have waived running back Emari Demercado, the 27-year-old former TCU standout whose brief and intermittent stay with the franchise appears to have ended, via the NFL transaction wire.
Demercado arrived in Dallas via the waiver wire at the end of August after the Kansas City Chiefs released him following training camp.
The Cowboys claimed the undrafted free agent, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who had served as Arizona’s offensive line coach during Demercado’s first two seasons with the Cardinals.
For the TCU product, the move represented a return to the Metroplex, where he had spent five college seasons compiling 1,615 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, highlighted by a 2022 campaign in which he ran for 681 yards and six scores.
His professional path began in 2023 when the Cardinals signed him as an undrafted free agent out of TCU.
Over three seasons in Arizona he appeared in 40 games, carrying the ball 126 times for 819 yards and three touchdowns while averaging a robust 6.5 yards per attempt.
He also contributed as a receiver with 50 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown, and handled occasional kick returns. Long runs of 71, 53, and 49 yards underscored the burst that made him a useful complementary piece, even if he never secured a consistent starting role.
In Dallas the opportunities proved far more limited.
Demercado appeared in just two games, totaling five carries for 15 yards, and spent multiple weeks as a healthy scratch as the team leaned on Javonte Williams and Tyler Goodson in the backfield.
The Cowboys first waived him in early October to create a roster spot for the activation of offensive lineman Tyler Smith from injured reserve. After clearing waivers he was re-signed several days later, only to be waived again later in the month alongside tight end D.J. Rogers, according to the NFL’s official transaction wire.
The repeated roster churn reflects the realities facing veteran depth pieces in a crowded NFL backfield.
Demercado’s combination of speed, receiving ability, and special-teams experience had previously kept him on rosters in Arizona and briefly with Kansas City, yet he never translated those traits into regular snaps in Dallas.
With Goodson established as the primary backup and Williams carrying the bulk of the workload, the Cowboys elected to move on once more.
Whether another team claims Demercado or he lands on a practice squad remains to be seen, but the latest transaction closes another chapter in a career defined by opportunistic contributions rather than a locked-in role.
From his productive college years at TCU through three seasons as an efficient complementary back in Arizona, Demercado has shown flashes of the skill set that keeps him on the periphery of NFL rosters, even as consistent playing time has proved elusive.
