Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Little-known running back could have big role with Cowboys

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 3/18/23

Attention, Dallas Cowboys fans. Right now, the team has one healthy running back on its roster, and his name isn’t Tony Pollard. It’s Malik Davis.

Pollard is still there thanks to a $10 million franchise tag, but don’t forget his 2022 season ended in late January with a broken fibula and an ankle sprain so severe it required surgery. If the season started tomorrow, Davis would get all the carries.

Davis was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and joined the active roster in mid-October. Running behind Elliott and Pollard, Davis saw only 38 carries, but he did find the end zone and finished the year with a respectable 4.2 yards per carry. He also averaged 10.5 yards per reception on six catches.

Malik Davis? Why not?
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 23, 2023

His best game of the season came at home against the Colts where he averaged 9.7 yards and a score on three carries with a long run of 23 yards.

Modest numbers to be sure, but given an opportunity, it’s not hard to imagine Davis as the team’s No. 2 back, especially if head coach Mike McCarthy has his way.

When speaking at the scouting combine, the coach made his intentions clear. “I want to run the damn ball so I can rest my defense,” he said, per Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. The team's rushing attempts have increased every year under McCarthy’s watch, so there’s every reason to believe he’ll do it.

Of course, there’s little doubt that Dallas will take a running back in the draft. Whether it’s a high-profile prospect like Bijan Robinson or a mid-round bruiser like Sean Tucker remains to be seen.

But Davis already has a foot in the door, and with another good preseason, he just might hold on to the backup spot for a while.

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