When the Cowboys open training camp next week in Oxnard, the spotlight will naturally drift toward the fresh defensive names - Christian Parker and Caleb Downs. But the quieter, more revealing roster fight might be happening in the backfield, where the backup running back picture is getting crowded fast.
Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah have both pushed their way into the conversation. Blue brings the kind of burst and open-field wiggle that makes him look like a clean fit next to Javonte Williams.
Mafah offers a harder edge, the sort of downhill style that could help Dallas build a physical one-two punch. On paper, both second-year backs have momentum.
That’s exactly why Malik Davis has slipped into the background. He’s the veteran in the room, the name fans are least likely to circle first. But that may be a mistake, because Davis has something the others haven’t shown yet: a real special teams role.
The last time Blue and Mafah were on the field, they weren’t being trusted with carries behind Williams, and they weren’t being asked to help on special teams either. That matters when roster cuts get serious.
ESPN’s Todd Archer recently projected the Cowboys’ 53-man roster and kept Blue and Mafah while leaving Davis out. That’s one path this could take, but it’s hard to see Dallas carrying two backs who don’t help on special teams. Maybe Blue and Mafah have made progress there, but that’s not something to assume.
Davis, meanwhile, has already been used in that phase. He worked as the starting personal protector on punt coverage during OTAs and minicamp, and he has kick-return experience as well. He’s not a game-breaking returner, but he gives the Cowboys another usable option in a spot where they need bodies.
That need is real. C.J.
Goodwin retired this offseason, and Dallas has to replace a major chunk of special teams production. Davis played 147 special teams snaps last season, which was 52 percent of the unit, even while handling 52 carries on offense.
Goodwin, by comparison, logged 388 special teams snaps, or 80 percent.
There’s another wrinkle too: Ryan Flournoy is expected to take on a bigger offensive workload, which should mean less special teams work for him after he played 133 snaps there last season. That leaves even more to sort out.
Special teams doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, but it can swing games. And that’s why Davis may have a better shot at sticking than some are giving him credit for. He’s not a lock, but the idea that Blue and Mafah are automatically ahead of him ignores a big part of what Dallas still needs.
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