Emmitt Smith’s name carries some serious weight in the NFL. However, his legacy was not enough to keep his son, EJ Smith, on the Kansas City Chiefs roster.

“The Chiefs have reached injury settlements with Chris Oladokun, CJ Hanson, and EJ Smith. They have been waived from the injured reserve list,” Matt Derrick wrote on X.

The younger Smith signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in April after a six-year college career split between Stanford and Texas A&M, drawn to the Chiefs in part by running backs coach DeMarco Murray, a former Cowboys back himself who had originally recruited Smith out of high school. However, EJ Smith wanted to chart a journey that would be uniquely his.

“I mean, shoot, y’all know who my dad is. He was a first-rounder, I’m an undrafted guy, so my path is already different from his,” Smith said in July.

“It was a long road to get here, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Just through all the obstacles that made me become the person who I am today in order to prepare me for this opportunity.”

Smith began his college career at Stanford, but a season-ending injury cut his 2022 season short. This was perhaps the most painful injury he suffered, considering he put himself on the map right before, racking up 206 yards and three scores in two games. He would go on to wrap up his career at Texas A&M, but along the way, he had suffered four injuries.

Unlike the shining resume Emmitt Smith came with in the draft, EJ had only 967 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, along with 70 receptions for 463 yards. Murray gave him an opportunity to come and play for the Chiefs.

EJ Smith became part of a running back room that became crowded. The Chiefs added Kenneth Walker III from the Seattle Seahawks, who will presumably be RB1. Behind him, the top expected backups are Brashard Smith and rookie Emmett Jones. EJ Smith also had to compete with fellow rookie Jadyn Ott. And for what it’s worth, Smith was giving his all.

“They love hard workers here,” he said. “Guys that grind, hustle every play, show great effort. And so I believe that I’m that guy. Wherever they need me to be utilized, I’m there and I’m ready for it.”

Smith played in all three preseason games and tallied four carries for six yards vs Seattle. However, he might have suffered an injury in this game, according to RotoWire.

The Chiefs waived Smith with an injury designation on August 30 while trimming their roster to 53 players. He cleared waivers the following day and reverted to injured reserve. On Friday, Kansas City reached an injury settlement with the rookie running back and released him. Because Smith has fewer than four accrued seasons, he can sign with another team after the required settlement period, but he cannot return to Kansas City for at least three weeks.

The Chiefs also parted ways with quarterback Chris Oladokun and offensive lineman C.J. Hanson in the same round of settlements, continuing to make changes to their injured reserve list as the regular season gets underway. In a corresponding roster move, Kansas City signed tight end Thomas Odukoya to the practice squad using an international player exemption slot.

Kansas City will host Denver on Monday, September 14, in an AFC West matchup. For Smith, the settlement makes him a free agent once again, and given his connection to Murray and the respect he earned in a short stint with the organization, a return to Kansas City’s practice squad down the line isn’t out of the question once he’s eligible to sign again.