DALLAS — Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News left Phil Mafah off his Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster projection published Sunday. Watkins kept four backs: Javonte Williams, Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and fullback Hunter Luepke.
Watkins wrote that Mafah “has done nothing wrong” and that Davis and Blue simply played better in the preseason. He pointed to Davis working as a personal protector on punts as the edge, and listed Israel Abanikanda as a practice squad candidate.
Jon Machota of The Athletic reached the same conclusion Sunday, writing that Davis is the back Dallas is “most comfortable” with in the No. 2 role and that Mafah is the one who gets cut.
Davis started Saturday at State Farm Stadium and carried 5 times for 29 yards. He caught an 8-yard touchdown pass on third-and-6 in the first quarter. Blue led Dallas with 15 carries for 75 yards and returned a kickoff 26 yards. Abanikanda took 8 carries.
Mafah did not get a carry until the fourth quarter. He took it 15 yards for a touchdown, starting right before cutting back around the left end, and he returned the opening kickoff.
Brian Schottenheimer On Malik Davis
Pass protection and special teams sit on Brian Schottenheimer‘s list of what Davis does well, alongside running behind his pads.
“When you watch those guys compete, Malik, the guy is consistent,” Schottenheimer said. “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.”
Dallas signed Davis as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2022. He carried 52 times for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns in 10 games last season, and ran 20 times for 103 yards against the Washington Commanders on Christmas for his first 100-yard game. Dallas placed him on injured reserve before Week 18 and activated him on Feb. 15.
The Roster Math Behind Javonte Williams
Williams signed a three-year, $24 million extension in February that includes $16 million guaranteed. He carried 252 times for 1,201 yards last season, the first Dallas back to clear 1,200 since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019.
Blue went 149th overall in the 2025 draft out of Texas. He dressed for 5 games as a rookie and carried 38 times for 129 yards with 1 touchdown. A shoulder injury kept him out of two practices and limited him in three more before Saturday.
Dallas took Mafah 239th overall out of Clemson in the same draft. He played 1 game as a rookie and carried 5 times for 18 yards with a touchdown. Mafah left the preseason opener at Seattle with a chest injury after 4 carries for 9 yards.
The preseason finale is Friday against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on CBS. The roster stands at 91 and has to be at 53 before the opener. Week 1 is Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
