When the Dallas Cowboys opened training camp in Oxnard more than three weeks ago, the roster appeared primed for four running backs. Javonte Williams was the clear-cut starter, and fullback Hunter Luepke, though he does not get many touches, appeared to be set, as well. That left two 2025 draft picks, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, to fight it out to decide who would be the backup and who would be the third-stringer behind Williams.
The only probably with that version of the roster, though, was Malik Davis, the undrafted fifth-year veteran who is so often overlooked as a critical member of the team’s running back room. And Davis has looked the part here in the preseason, as the got the start in the first game against Seattle and was solid again in the win over Arizona on Saturday. Davis has 12 carries for 68 yards plus a receiving touchdown.
But putting Davis on the 53-man roster means another running back–the Cowboys won’t keep more than four–is out. And that’s not great news, most likely, for Mafah.
Phil Mafah ‘Has Done Nothing Wrong’
That’s how veteran Cowboys beat reporter Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News sees it. In working out how the Cowboys’ 53-man roster is likely to look after two preseason outings, Watkins has Mafah as the odd man out. Williams, Davis, Blue and Luepke, he says, are most likely safe.
The Cowboys love Blue’s speed and are trying to mold him into a better professional–and work with him to make sure he improves ball security. Mafah just might not have a role.
Watkins wrote: “Phil Mafah has done nothing wrong here. Davis and Blue just played better in the preseason. Davis is also a personal protector on punts, so that gives him a slight edge. Israel Abanikanda is someone the Cowboys should keep for the practice squad.”
Cowboys Keep Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis Over Phil Mafah
Watkins is not alone in that opinion on Davis’s spot in the Cowboys pecking order–or that Mafah will be let go when roster are trimmed.
At Cowboys Roundtable, Adam Schultz wrote, “Davis has now usurped both Blue and Mafah in the running back depth chart after his two preseason games. Yes, Blue did manage 75 yards on 15 carries in Arizona, and Mafah got himself a late touchdown run (14 yards), but maybe the die was already cast, as Davis was pulled early.”
Cowboys beat writer Jon Machota of The Athletic also predicts that Davis is the RB2 and Mafah will be cut. “Malik Davis seems to be the player with whom the Cowboys are most comfortable in that role at the moment. He started Saturday and played well,” Machota wrote.
A Cowboys First for Malik Davis?
There will probably be a job in the NFL for Mafah somewhere, should the Cowboys let him go. But we should also appreciate the improvement shown by Davis, who scrapped his way onto the team in 2022, and has managed to hang on to a roster spot despite bouncing between the 53-man and the practice squad every season he has been in Dallas.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer likes the consistency and versatility Davis has shown: “When you watch those guys compete, Malik — the guy is consistent. He’s a good football player. He’s good on offense. He’s good on special teams. He’s good in pass protection. He’s a good runner. He runs behind his pads. He makes positive yards. He has not been a surprise.”
Davis is in position to make the Cowboys’ active roster out of camp for the first time in his career. And that’s bad news for Mafah.
Cowboys Predicted to Cut Ties With 2025 Draft Pick in Roster Shake-Up