The Cowboys claimed former Chiefs RB Emari Demercado off waivers. He will join the team after they released both second-year RBs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. He joins an RB room with only Javonte Williams and Malik Davis. Demercado could stick as the No. 3 RB on the team.
The Cowboys are waiving RB Jaydon Blue. He arrived as a fifth-round pick in 2025 but totaled just 39 touches for his rookie season, nearly half of which came in Week 18
Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah seemed to be fighting for the Cowboys' No. 2 RB job this summer. But with RB Javonte Williams getting the second preseason game off, RB Malik Davis drew the start. The Athletic's Jon Machota now predicts Davis will open the season as the No. 2 RB before Blue takes over later in the season.
Cowboys RBs Malik Davis and Israel Abanikanda have garnered more first-team opportunities in recent workouts, and HC Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Thursday that they've "earned" those chances.
Patrik Walker of the Cowboys website asked OC Klayton Adams about the RB competition behind starter Javonte Williams. He said Adams praised each member of the group, but had comments that "stuck out" about one particular competitor.
Cowboys RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (calf, eye) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the Giants. That leaves RBs Hunter Luepke and Jaydon Blue on the active roster, with RBs Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda candidates to be elevated. We’ll see what moves Dallas makes leading up to kickoff and look for clues on the backfield plans. There’s fantasy upside to mine here with the matchup against the Giants’ 31st-ranked RB defense.
Cowboys RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (calf, eye) missed Wednesday's practice. Williams never returned to last week's win over the Commanders, while Davis finished out the game as lead back. We'll see how both guys progress over the next couple days. Their absences vs. the Giants on Sunday would leave Dallas' backfield to some combination of Hunter Luepke, Phil Mafah, and Jaydon Blue.
Cowboys RB Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Thursday's game vs. the Commanders and did not return. RB Malik Davis wound up carrying 20 times for 103 yards in the win. He out-carried FB Hunter Luepke 12 to six in the second half. We'll look for more details on Williams' shoulder injury, but Dallas has no reason to push him back for the season finale vs. the Giants. If Williams misses that game, Davis will be squarely on the fantasy radar in a pristine matchup.
Cowboys RB Javonte Williams finished Sunday's loss to the Chargers with just 34 rushing yards on nine carries. He added 9 yards on 2 receptions. Williams opened the game with a solid 7-33 first-half rushing line (4.7 yards per carry) but garnered just two more attempts after the break. Malik Davis finished the game with eight carries to Williams' nine after trailing him 7-3 at halftime. Neither guy registered a run longer than 8 yards against a soft Chargers run D (21st in rush DVOA).
Cowboys RB Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Vikings and is officially questionable to return. His absence leaves RB Malik Davis atop the depth chart. We'll update Williams' status when we know more.
Update: Williams returned for the start of the second half.
Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue is a healthy scratch for tonight's game vs. the Cardinals. The rookie seemed to be building a little momentum as Dallas' No 2 RB, but the team will instead roll with RBs Hunter Luepke and Malik Davis behind lead back Javonte Williams in this one.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle was mentioned as "battling it out" with RB Malik Davis by EVP Stephen Jones. He was highly complimentary of RB Royce Freeman.
The Cowboys signed RB Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. It's the 28-year-old's fourth different team in the last three years. Freeman was decent for the Rams last year, rushing 77 times for 319 yards (4.1 YPC) and two TDs. He ranked 21st in Pro Football Focus rushing grade, 29th in yards after contact per attempt, and 16th in PFF Elusive Rating among 69 RBs with 50+ carries. Freeman joins Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Malik Davis in a Cowboys backfield that still looks like a prime spot for a Day 2 rookie. We'll see exactly what the draft brings, but Freeman is not a good bet for 2024 fantasy value.
The Cowboys released RB Malik Davis. They'll roll with RBs Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn behind starter Tony Pollard to open the season. Neither Dowdle nor Vaughn figure to have fantasy value behind Pollard. And a Pollard injury would likely result in a committee backfield.
The Cowboys released their first "unofficial" depth chart of the season Monday, and it includes RB Rico Dowdle as the backup to Tony Pollard. Malik Davis follows Dowdle, with Ronald Jones fourth and rookie Deuce Vaughn fifth. These preseason depth charts often hold things that aren't close to how the regular season works out. But the rest of this particular depth chart looks legit. We'll certainly be watching Dallas' backfield competition the rest of the way. There is no clear favorite for the No. 2 job -- and still the possibility that the Cowboys import a veteran.
The NFL has suspended Cowboys RB Ronald Jones for the first two regular-season games for violating the PED policy. That's no big news for fantasy football drafts, but his absence won't help Jones' case for working ahead of Malik Davis or Deuce Vaughn. It might even factor into whether he makes the regular-season roster. Of course, if he hasn't appealed yet, Jones could point to totaling just 92 yards over a full season with the Chiefs as evidence that he didn't enhance a thing.
You have our personal money-back guarantee: If you’re not happy with our service for any reason, just reach out by December 31, 2026, and we’ll give you 100% of this purchase back. No strings attached. You can cancel with one-click from your account page anytime.
