Who Should I Start? Malik Davis or Brashard Smith

Sunday, August 30, 12:14 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis came out of Sunday's cuts with a much cleaner path behind Javonte Williams. Dallas waived both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, two backs who had spent the summer competing with Davis for the No. 2 job. The timing matters because Davis was already pulling ahead before either move. Jon Machota reported last week that the Cowboys seemed most comfortable with Davis as their RB2, and Cowboys.com made the same call after the second preseason game. Davis gave them reasons to trust him. He led Dallas' backs with 39 yards on seven carries in the preseason opener, then flashed in pass protection against Arizona. He also rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries last season, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt. This still isn't a path to major standalone volume with Williams healthy, and Dallas could add another back after cuts. For now, though, two of Davis' biggest competitors are gone. He's one of the clearest redraft winners from the Cowboys' roster moves.