What does Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith think the franchise needs to get back to the Super Bowl?

Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith has an opinion on what the franchise needs to end their lengthy Super Bowl drought.

“I think there needs to be a complete realignment of vision and expectations, not just on the business side, but also on the football side, I think anytime you draft a player to come to the Dallas Cowboys, I shouldn’t have to tell you what to expect,” Smith said after coming his round at the 2024 Invited Celebrity Classic on Friday.

“You should come in with this level of expectation that I’m gonna be a part of a storied legacy organization and I have a chance to add to that story,” Smith said. ”If you’re not looking at it from that perspective, if you’re not a big cowboy lover, like many of us was back in our day, you don’t need to be in Dallas.”

Smith, the franchise and NFL’s all-time leading rusher, ran for 17,162 yards and won three Super Bowls while playing with the Cowboys from 1990 until 2002 He said the franchise has work to do at the running back position despite some talent.

“They do need some more options. I don’t know if they should go after somebody in the draft, especially high in the draft, they may not want to [draft] somebody high. There are other needs,” Smith said.“I think we do have some quality guys that we can work with right now, which is fine, and that has to be proven out, but still you want to be able to have enough depth, enough variety if you can, especially in today’s football game because there ain’t no more bell Cows.”

The Cowboys running back room consists of Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, Snoop Conner, Hunter Luepke and Deuce Vaughn. That group cumulatively had 195 carries for 739 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys could add more players in free agency or the NFL Draft which begins on Thursday.

The Cowboys’ outside free agent signings have been Eric Kendricks and Royce Freeman, but the team has yet to address multiple areas of need causing some consternation among fans.

However, Smith urged patience is needed to see the complete picture before evaluating.

“I gotta wait until the draft is over with to see what they do because they may go after some of the [players] that they lost or things that they need to shore up and they may feel good with some of the talent they actually have,” said Smith, “I know people are talking about us because we haven’t made any major moves in free agency market, which is fine.”

The Cowboys sit at a crossroads this season with Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott both in the last years of their contracts and the team desperate for its first Super Bowl title in nearly 30 years and Smith wants the team to keep adding to their rich tradition.

“Are we building upon the legacy or are we just allowing the legacy to erode and be lost in the mix?,” said Smith, “We need to get back to legacy building.”