It was a bit of a surprise to see the Dallas Cowboys not address the running back with any of their first three picks in the NFL Draft.
In hindsight, that was a tremendous call. While Dallas, missed out on the top-tier prospects, they got the draft’s best run blocker in Tyler Booker at No. 12 overall and two of the best value picks in Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel in rounds two and three, respectively.
It wasn’t until Day 3 that they took a running back, but they got one of the draft’s most dynamic players at the position in Texas’ Jaydon Blue. They turned around a few picks later and picked Clemson’s Phil Mafah, who averaged over 3.24 yards after contact per carry last year.
This is now a very crowded backfield and the Cowboys responded accordingly by cutting bait with a former undrafted free agent.
Cowboys cut Malik Davis after drafting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah
The Cowboys announced a string of cuts on Wednesday, headlined by running back Malik Davis. They also moved on from offensive linemen Jack Anderson and Earl Bostick as well as linebacker Brock Mogensen.
In another wrinkle, they used the International Exemption for defensive tackle Denzel Daxon, which permits them to carry 91 players on the offseason roster.
Davis is a player Cowboys fans wanted to see more of over the years. The former Florida Gator saw his most playing time during the 2022 season when Tony Pollard was banged up. He rushed 38 times for 161 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and a touchdown with a 39.5% success rate.
Despite showing some burst, Davis didn’t log a single carry over the last two seasons. He ceded a roster spot to 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn.
Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but Davis could have provided some juice to the running game last season. Unfortunately, there was no convincing Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy to pull the plug on Ezekiel Elliott early in the season.
Ultimately, this is not a surprising turn of events.
The Cowboys currently have five running backs competing for three spots: Blue, Mafah, Vaughn and new additions Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Hopefully, the front office adds Nick Chubb to the mix in the near future, but there was no room for Davis to make any headway.
Davis has his limitations as a runner. He has subpar long speed, but at 5-11 and 202 pounds he has ideal size for the position. That said, it would not surprise if he latches on with another team as someone who can provide added competition in training camp.
