Cowboys running back Malik Davis had his way with the Commanders' defense.
We might look back on the Dallas Cowboys' 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders as the game Malik Davis cemented his place on the 2026 roster.
Having been on the couch for the first part of the year, Davis has been Javonte Williams' backup over the past couple of months.
Every time he has his number called, Davis has produced.
While only getting a handful of carries in games, Malik has had yards totals of 20, 24, 47, 21, and 23.
Averaging 4.8 yards per clip, Davis has kept the chains moving for Brian Schottenheimer's offense.
His crowning moment came on Christmas Day.
With Javonte out for the second half with his troublesome shoulder injury, Davis was the bellcow, rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries, and averaging 5.2 yards per run.
“He's earned it, he really has,” Schottenheimer said. “He's earned it. He practices like that every day. Big touchdown run, I think it's Kansas City, he runs hard. What you don't see is the hidden yards to get to 100, I guarantee you 30 of those are after contact, pushing piles, keeping his legs going, things like that.”
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With the need for a stable backup to Williams, fans thought that was rookie Jaydon Blue entering the season. But the former Texas Longhorn has struggled with the day-to-day consistency the coaching staff wants from him.
As such, it has been Davis who has gotten the nod.
And he hasn't let the 7-8-1 Cowboys down.
You could make the case that Davis (like Williams a free agent to be) has earned the right to be the starter in Week 18 because, let's face it, there's no need to play a banged-up Williams against the New York Giants.
We can argue that especially of the Cowboys embrace just a little bit the idea of "tanking'' (which the Giants will be doing), Davis has earned the right to be the bellcow in Week 17 ...
And in the process, he might have earned a spot on Dallas' roster in 2026 as well.