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.
What They're Saying
Schottenheimer: "When you watch those guys compete, Malik -- the guy is consistent. He's a good football player. He's good on offense. He's good on special teams. He's good in pass protection. He's a good runner. He runs behind his pads. He makes positive yards. He has not been a surprise. I've been very pleasantly surprised with Izzy. Didn't know him. We got him late last year. Big, powerful man that runs hard; good speed. You haven't even really seen his speed come to life, but he's very, very fast. He's a finisher. ... If he gets space, he's hard to catch because he's fast and powerful from the lower body down. Those guys have earned the right to get more reps with the ones."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Jaydon Blue has been the second Cowboys RB off the board in drafts, going well after starter Javonte Williams at RB53 in best ball ADP. But that position marks a steep rise vs. Blue's ADP at the end of June:
Blue remains the best bet to open the season as the Cowboys' No. 2 RB. His receiving profile makes him a nice complement to Williams, a strong runner but below-average receiving back.
However, you shouldn't view the second-year back as a direct replacement for Williams should the starter go down. Blue's 24 pounds lighter and never carried more than 134 times in a college season.
Dallas isn't likely to carry all these RB competitors on the regular-season roster, with second-year Phil Mafah also in the mix. So we'll see exactly who makes the cut.
But expect a tandem or committee approach in the event of a Williams injury.
Davis stands as probably the best bet to join Williams and Blue on the regular-season roster. He has been with the Cowboys since 2022, and those special-teams contributions Schottenheimer mentioned will help.
I wouldn't expect much from Abanikanda. He hit the league as a fifth-round pick of the Jets back in 2023 but has just 22 career carries and 7 catches. All of those touches came in 2023.
He failed to stick with the 49ers in between getting dumped by the Jets and picked up by the Cowboys.
