Cowboys RB Malik Davis Carted Off With Hip Injury, Ruled Out for Week 1 vs. Giants

The Dallas Cowboys were dealt an unwelcome blow just two days before their season opener when running back Malik Davis was carted off the practice field Friday with a hip injury. Davis was quickly ruled out for Sunday night’s Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants, throwing Dallas’s already-thin backfield depth into further doubt.

Davis, 27, enters his fifth NFL season and had emerged as Dallas’s clear No. 2 running back behind starter Javonte Williams after the Cowboys waived both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah during final roster cuts. That left Davis and Williams as the only true running backs on the 53-man roster, a thin arrangement that now looks even shakier with Davis sidelined for the opener.

What Happened at The Star

Davis went down during Friday’s practice session at the Cowboys’ facility, and Dallas COO Stephen Jones later confirmed on 105.3 The Fan that Davis suffered what he called a “pretty serious injury” that “could take him out for some period of time.” The team promptly listed Davis as out on its final Week 1 injury report, and reports indicated Davis was undergoing further testing to determine the full extent of the damage. With the severity still being evaluated, there’s real concern the absence could stretch beyond just Week 1.

Backfield Options Behind Javonte Williams

With Davis out, the Cowboys will lean on a patchwork group to fill reps behind Williams on Sunday night. Emari Demercado, a waiver-wire pickup added late in the summer, and fullback Hunter Luepke are the top options currently on the 53-man roster, while practice-squad back Israel Abanikanda could also be elevated for extra depth. None of the three carry anywhere near the workload profile the Cowboys envisioned when they trimmed the position down to just Williams and Davis at final cuts.

That roster construction now looks like the riskiest bet Dallas made all summer. Williams, who didn’t play a single preseason snap and was viewed as a clear-cut bell-cow entering the year, suddenly has almost no proven insurance if he needs a breather — or worse, misses time himself. Fans tracking the latest NFL odds saw the Cowboys’ line shift only marginally after the news broke, but the uncertainty at running back adds a wrinkle oddsmakers and bettors alike will be watching closely as kickoff approaches.

What It Means for Week 1 at MetLife Stadium

Dallas travels to MetLife Stadium for a Sunday night showdown with the Giants at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, a game that already carried plenty of intrigue given the division rivalry and both teams’ offseason moves. Now it also carries an added subplot: how much the Cowboys can lean on Williams behind an offensive line that returns largely intact, and whether Dallas’s depleted running back room becomes a liability if the Giants can slow him down early.

The timing stings for Davis, who had quietly built himself into a trusted role in Dallas’s offense after bouncing around the league since going undrafted out of Florida in 2020. He appeared in a career-high number of games last season and looked primed for an expanded workload in 2026 before Friday’s injury intervened. For now, the Cowboys will have to wait on further testing to know just how long he’ll be out — and hope their running back depth doesn’t get further tested against a divisional opponent hungry for an upset.