Pat Bryant is not the name changing the Dallas Cowboys’ backfield on Friday. Malik Davis suffered a hip injury during a non-contact outdoor practice at The Star, was carted off the field and will have surgery on Saturday before going on season-ending IR.
Stephen Jones said Davis had earned his role the hard way. "Very disappointing. Malik's done everything the right way. He's such a good person off the field, he works his ass off, he's come from nowhere to be our No. 2 back, and he's done it the hard way" — Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. The injury wipes out the player who had figured to sit behind starter Javonte Williams.
Emari Demercado and Israel Abanikanda
The Cowboys added Emari Demercado as the No. 3 back for depth and special teams help, and they will likely turn to Demercado and perhaps Israel Abanikanda for more work after Davis' injury. Abanikanda is on the practice squad, which gives the team a reserve option without changing the core of the roster immediately.
That turn is sharper because Davis had won the No. 2 job in a close competition that stretched through most of August. He had been lined up for a role in the offensive game plan on Sunday against the Giants, after backing up Williams last season and rushing for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Stephen Jones on Malik Davis
Davis' path made the setback more jarring. He entered the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2022, played in 12 games as a rookie and rushed for 161 yards, then spent the next two seasons on the practice squad before returning in mid-camp last year. He made the team, rushed for 103 yards and posted the only 100-yard game of his career, then climbed into the No. 2 spot this summer.
"Now unfortunately, I think he's looking at a pretty serious injury. So disappointed for Malik. Obviously tough for our team, but like anything it's next man up." Jones said. The move to IR ends Davis' season before it starts, and it leaves the Cowboys to fill a role that had already been settled by Friday morning.
