FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys had interest in Tyler Goodson at the 53-man cutdown, coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday at The Star, a day after Dallas signed the running back off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.
Dallas waived running back Israel Abanikanda to open the roster spot. Malik Davis went on injured reserve Saturday after injuring his hip in practice Sept. 11.
Dallas is rebuilding its running back room a little, Schottenheimer said, after an injury to Davis that the Cowboys hated to see.
“I think at the end of the day when you look at we’re rebuilding the room a little bit, the injury to Malik was something that we hated to see happen. Tyler was a guy that we had some love for at the cutdown spot,” Schottenheimer said. “And we love the veteran presence that he brings, but also the change of pace and the special teams value.”
“So we talk a little bit in here about you got to have more than one role,” Schottenheimer continued. “So here’s a guy that we think, number one, has got some speed, some juice, some change-of-pace ability, but he’s also got special teams value, which makes it easier to get guys like that active.”
Tyler Goodson Joins Dallas Cowboys After Malik Davis Injury
Goodson, 25, went undrafted out of Iowa in 2022 and spent time with the Green Bay Packers. He played 33 games with one start for the Indianapolis Colts from 2023 to 2025. Across those seasons, he ran 54 times for 264 yards and a touchdown and caught 19 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Atlanta signed Goodson in March and waived him Aug. 31 before bringing him back on its practice squad Sept. 1. A player signed off another team’s practice squad has to go on the signing team’s 53-man roster.
Davis had earned the No. 2 running back job behind Javonte Williams this summer. Abanikanda, a 2023 fifth-round pick of the New York Jets, has not played in a regular-season game since 2023.
Dallas Cowboys Running Backs Behind Javonte Williams
Williams ran 12 times for 41 yards and a touchdown in the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants and caught 5 passes for 31 yards and another touchdown. He played 41 of 58 offensive snaps.
Emari Demercado played 5 offensive snaps and ran twice for 7 yards. Fullback Hunter Luepke played 15 snaps with 1 carry for 7 yards. Dallas ran 18 times for 69 yards as a team.
Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
