GREEN BAY, Wis. — Phil Mafah worked out for the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Green Bay brought seven players in for the session, three of them running backs, nine days after the Dallas Cowboys waived Mafah at the league’s cutdown deadline.
Damon Bankston and Ian Wheeler were the other two running backs in the group, which also carried a quarterback, a tight end, and two defensive backs. Zach Kruse of Packers Wire published the full list Tuesday evening.
Phil Mafah’s Exit From The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas made 39 roster moves on Aug. 30 in trimming to 53 players, and Mafah was one of them. The Cowboys did not bring him back on the practice squad. Javonte Williams and Malik Davis were the only running backs on the initial 53-man roster. Jaydon Blue, a fifth-round pick in the same draft class, was waived that same afternoon and joined the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad the following day.
Mafah finished the 2026 preseason with 13 carries for 61 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He left the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 15 with a chest injury and did not return.
Dallas took Mafah in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 239th overall pick, which the Cowboys had acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. He signed on May 2, 2025. The Cowboys placed him on injured reserve on Aug. 27 that year with a shoulder injury and activated him on Jan. 3, 2026. His only NFL appearance came the following day at the New York Giants, where he carried 5 times for 18 yards and a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and caught both of his targets for 11 yards. He played 10 offensive snaps, 18% of the total. Dallas lost that game 34-17.
At Clemson, Mafah closed his college career with 2,887 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns. He ran 216 times for 1,115 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024, added 21 receptions for 103 yards over 14 games, and was named third-team All-ACC. He ran for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns the year before that.
Green Bay Packers Running Backs Behind Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs opened the season on the commissioner’s exempt list. Jacobs was charged in Brown County, Wisconsin, with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property after a May incident, and his initial court appearance was moved up to Sept. 10. Players on the exempt list continue to be paid but may not practice or play in games.
Green Bay acquired Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 30. Johnson went 83rd overall in 2025 and ran 28 times for 69 yards in 10 games as a rookie in Pittsburgh. MarShawn Lloyd, a third-round pick in 2024, has appeared in one game across two seasons and has 15 career rushing yards.
Green Bay opens the season at the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS. Dallas kicks off at the Giants on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
