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Could Malik Davis be the Cowboys RB1 in 2026?

Originally posted on Inside The Star | By Shane Taylor | Last updated Dec 26, 2025 9:29 AM ET

Yesterday, we saw the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders on Christmas 30-23, and the Dallas starting running back Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder injury and would not return during the second half.

With that injury, we got a solid look at Malik Davis, who finished the game with 20 carries for 103 yards, and it got me thinking, can he be the starting running back for this team in 2026 if Dallas does not bring Williams back next season?

Davis had 5.2 yards per carry, which was a career high in that, carries and rushing yards.

Lead Back Next Year?

You know Jerry Jones loves to save a penny anytime that he can, and let’s be honest, Jerry could get him to return on another low-end deal like he is on now, and use him as the starting running back next season.

I only say that because Williams just ran for over 1,000 yards, and he has earned himself a solid contact next season, whether it is with the Dallas Cowboys or not!

Another holiday, another heroic Malik Davis performance: 20 carries for 103 yards (both career-highs).

After the game, he wasn’t available to talk because his eye had swollen shut. He also suffered an arm injury in the game. It didn’t stop him from a career day.

Learn more… https://t.co/9PLdQPORem

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) December 25, 2025

Davis has had a few other moments this season, like his long touchdown run in the Thanksgiving win over the Chiefs. It just seems like he is a change of pace type running back, and maybe not an every down running back.

I will say that I would be all in favor of signing both Williams and Davis and running this backfield back for the second year in a row. I think it is a very solid backfield and could get them both at decent enough deals to use money on defense.

At the end of the day, if they bring Davis back to be the starter instead of Williams, they will probably have to add another back, maybe via the draft, because they clearly missed Jaydon Blue as he has been inactive for the last month.

We know what the issues are of this football team, and none of this will matter if the defense does not get fixed, because this offense scores 30 points a game and sometimes struggles to outscore other teams for the win, because the defense makes other offenses look like the best in football when they play them.

This team has a lot of things to worry about this offseason, and it would be nice if they brought back the entire offense and ran it back and just focus on the defensive side of the ball because that is the biggest issue.

If you had to ask me a simple yes or no to whether I trust Davis to be the main guy next year, although I like what I have seen, I would still say no.

This article first appeared on Inside The Star and was syndicated with permission.

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