3 Cowboys who have unexpectedly shined during the preseason

3. Malik Davis, RB

Everyone expected the preseason to be the Rico Dowdle show. Dowdle was a fan favorite from the start and now that he’s back from injury, he was supposed to secure his spot as RB3 and have a great preseason. However, that’s not the case anymore, because Malik Davis has arrived.

Davis is coming in as yet another 2022 UDFA, who was mostly passed on due to his size (or lack thereof) and his unimpressive 40-yard dash time. The Cowboys brought him and Aaron Shampklin in to compete for the RB3 spot with Dowdle, but I doubt they expected this much from Davis.

The former Florida Gator had an impressive debut despite only carrying the ball eight times. In those eight carries, Davis managed to grind out 51 yards, meaning he averaged 6.4 yards per carry in Week 1.

In his second game against the Chargers, he had yet another eight carries, but this time for 37 yards with a respectable 4.6 yards per carry. Through both games, he also has caught four passes for another 22 yards in the air.

Davis is making his presence felt this preseason. If he has another great game in Week 3, he could be forcing the Joneses to think about keeping four running backs on the roster. If they don’t, and they try to send him to the practice squad, there is little chance that a team doesn’t pick him up off of waivers.