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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys running back Israel Abanikanda is the back the team expects to see Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday.
Schottenheimer spoke before Friday’s practice at The Star in a press conference the Cowboys streamed on YouTube.
Dallas needs a back behind starter Javonte Williams after Tyler Goodson was hurt in the Nov. 8 win at Indianapolis. Schottenheimer said Monday that Goodson will miss multiple weeks, and Goodson did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.
Three practice squad backs were in the mix this week. Jashaun Corbin has been with Dallas since training camp, and the Cowboys signed Kendre Miller on Wednesday, but Schottenheimer said the decision is not a straight competition.
“Again, it’s a little bit of a different thing,” Schottenheimer said. “Jashaun’s actually been here. Obviously, we just brought in Miller. But I do think that, it’s been. Izzy is who we expect to see.”
“He’s a guy we brought in last year. Really liked it. This is a guy with explosive speed,” Schottenheimer continued. “When you get this guy into open space, he’s a big man that can run really, really fast, and that was evident from our time with him in training camp, preseason, and certainly going back to his Pitt film. But he has done a really good job, and he’s ready to go.”
NFL teams announce practice squad elevations the day before a game.
Israel Abanikanda’s Path To Dallas
The New York Jets drafted Abanikanda in the fifth round, 143rd overall, in 2023 out of Pittsburgh. At Pitt in 2022, he ran for 320 yards against Virginia Tech, a school single-game record.
San Francisco and Green Bay both claimed him on waivers before Dallas signed him to its practice squad on Nov. 30, 2025. He signed a future contract on Jan. 6. In the Aug. 15 preseason opener at Seattle, he ran seven times for 16 yards and caught three passes for 16 yards.
Dallas waived Abanikanda in August and again in September, then re-signed him to the practice squad on Sept. 17 after he went unclaimed.
Kendre Miller, Jashaun Corbin, And Javonte Williams’ Workload
The New Orleans Saints drafted Miller in the third round out of TCU in 2023 and waived him Nov. 7. The Mount Enterprise, Texas, native has 656 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 27 career games. Miller reunites with Cowboys running backs coach Derrick Foster, who coached him in New Orleans in 2024.
Corbin signed with Dallas on Aug. 7 after leading the UFL in rushing with the Orlando Storm.
Through nine games, Williams has 154 carries for 629 yards. He had at least 20 carries in each of the last three games, after not reaching 20 in any of the first six.
Goodson ran 12 times for a career-high 77 yards at Indianapolis before the injury. Dallas ranks 21st in the NFL in rushing at 103.6 yards per game.
Dallas (4-5) hosts San Francisco (7-1) at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with the game on Fox.
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