3 Cowboys veterans who could lose their jobs to a rookie

3. Malik Davis

When the Cowboys decided to move on from Ezekiel Elliott, they fully committed to Tony Pollard as the starting running back. As far as who will now back him up when he needs a break, the door is open. The likely candidate to come in as a third-down back is Malik Davis. The undrafted free agent out of Florida last year turned some heads in the preseason and made the roster.

Davis made his debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in week six, but only saw action on special teams. With Elliott injured against the Bears and Green Bay Packers a few weeks later, Davis backed up Pollard and had 13 total carries. When Elliott returned, Davis went back to playing mostly on special teams.

He scored his first touchdown against the Colts in a blowout win, but had another chance to play backup a few weeks later. Pollard sat out week 17 against the Tennessee Titans due to injury, making Elliott the primary back. Davis backed him up and had a season-high ten carries for 39 yards as Dallas won 27-13.

Davis biggest competition for reps will come from Deuce Vaughn, the sixth-round pick out of Kansas State. Many have been high on Vaughn due to his many highlights in college. Even at his size, Vaughn has great ability to produce heart-stopping runs. Most fans want to see him touch the ball as much as possible.

Even with Elliott gone, Dallas' running back room is still full. Ronald Jones signed as well, providing Davis even more competition. Although Jones will likely be used more in power situations much like Zeke.

Davis has some moves too, but Vaughn has already become a fan favorite from this rookie class without taking a snap. Davis will need to stand out in training camp and preseason if he wants to continue backing up Pollard.

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