Obvious Cowboys cut candidate did himself zero favors in preseason Week 1

The Dallas Cowboys stumbled against the LA Rams in their preseason opener on Sunday, but thankfully that does not matter whatsoever. The football on display was nothing to write home about, but second, third and fourth-stringers got their chance to impress the coaching staff.

Trey Lance played the most reps of any Cowboy, and while he did not color himself in glory, rookie first-round pick Tyler Guyton flashed star potential in his NFL debut.

As far as position battles are concerned, second-year man Jalen Brooks seemed to put a stranglehold on the WR4 job and John Stephens Jr. is starting to pull away in the tight end competition. Running back is another tightly-contested battle that has fans' attention.

Right now, though, it's anyone's guess who will make the 53-man roster behind Ezekiel Elliott and leading returning rusher Rico Dowdle. While not a single back cemented a case for a roster spot on Sunday, one player made anything but a strong case to climb the depth chart.

The Cowboys cutting RB Malik Davis feels inevitable after preseason Week 1

With Elliott being a healthy scratch, Dowdle got the start at running back. Dowdle broke a nine-yard run early on and saw just three carries on six snaps. The RB room was otherwise very underwhelming and Malik Davis unfortunately has to wear that more than anyone else.

Davis' eight carries were five more than any other back on the roster. He tallied just 18 rushing yards and averaged a lowly 2.7 yards per carry. Furthermore, Davis' 31 offensive snaps were 12 more than the next running back, Snoop Conner, who played 19 snaps. Fullback Hunter Luepke also played just four snaps, so it seems that he's a lock to make the roster.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2021, Davis' 51.3 player grade ranked 24th among 31 Cowboys who saw the field on offense. He added two drops as a receiver to punctuate a brutal day at the office.

While Trey Lance's dink-and-dunk passing game didn't do Davis any favors, the run-blocking was plenty serviceable for him to do better with his carries. A whopping eight Cowboys finished with a run-blocking grade of 69.1 or better, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

It looks worse for Davis that Royce Freeman (groin) and Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) were both sidelined Sunday with injuries. Freeman and maybe Vaughn have been ahead of Davis on the depth chart in training camp. The second-year pro got a chance to shine in their absence and did not make the most of it.

The game made it clear that the Cowboys need to bring in another running back. That's not an indictment on Davis as much as it is the front office, but it is hard not to draw the conclusion that Davis is on the periphery of the roster after the first week of preseason.

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