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Malik Davis

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Malik Davis
Davis in 2025
No. 20 – Dallas Cowboys
PositionRunning back
Roster status Injured reserve
Personal information
Born (1998-11-26) November 26, 1998 (age 27)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolJesuit (Tampa)
CollegeFlorida (2017–2021)
NFL draft2022: undrafted
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Rushing yards411
Rushing average4.6
Rushing touchdowns3
Receptions8
Receiving yards79
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Malik Davis (born November 26, 1998) is an American professional football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators from 2017 to 2021.[1][2][3]

Early life

[edit]

Davis attended Jesuit High School, where he was a three-year starter at running back.

As a junior, he registered 2,337 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. He was named the 2016 Hillsborough Offensive Player of the Year by the Tampa Bay Times, he was named to the 2016 Class 5A All-State team and received the 2016 Guy Toph Award, which is given to Hillsborough County's most outstanding football player

As a senior, he had a county-best 2,469 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns, contributing to his team having a 12-1 and winning the 5A state championship game. He finished as the all-time rushing leader in the county with 7,025 career yards, surpassing the mark set by Ray-Ray McCloud. He also averaged 8.5 yards an attempt, including 11.5 yards per carry as a senior and totaled 83 career touchdowns. He received PrepStar Magazine All-Southeast Region Class honors.

College career

[edit]

Davis accepted a football scholarship from the University of Florida.[4][5] As a true freshman in 2017, he appeared in 7 games (2 starts), before suffering a season-ending injury in the seventh game against the University of Georgia. He finished second on the team in rushing with 526 yards on 79 carries and also had 2 rushing touchdowns. He had 5 games with over 90 rushing yards, including a career-high 124 against Vanderbilt University, where he became the first true freshman in the SEC to score two rushing touchdowns in a single-game. He was named to the Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team.

As a sophomore in 2018, he appeared in just three games before sustaining a season-ending knee injury against Colorado State University. He received a medical redshirt. He tallied 13 carries for 61 yards and 3 receptions for 33 yards before he was lost for the season.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2019, he played in 12 games at running back, tallying 86 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries, while making 6 receptions for 41 yards. He also was a part of the special teams unit. He had a season-best 22 rushing yards against Towson University.

As a redshirt junior in 2020, he appeared in all 12 games of the season with 2 starts. He collected 66 carries for 310 yards and 31 receptions for 377 yards. He had a season-high 81 rushing yards against Louisiana State University. He started during the SEC Championship Game against the University of Alabama, tallying one carry for 2 yards on one carry and 2 receptions for 15 yards.

As a redshirt senior in 2021, he started at running back in 12 of 13 games, rushing 92 times for 487 yards and 5 touchdowns, to go along with 23 receptions for 217 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. In season opener against Florida Atlantic University, he ran 14 times for 104 yards and one touchdown, for the second 100-yard rushing game of his career. In the Gasparilla Bowl against the University of Central Florida, he had 7 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown.

College statistics

[edit]
Rushing Receiving
SeasonTeamGPAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
2017Florida 7795266.727588.30
2018Florida 313614.7033311.00
2019Florida 1234862.516416.80
2020Florida 12663104.703137712.20
2021Florida 12924875.35232179.42
Totals462841,4705.287072610.42

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m)		202 lb
(92 kg)		31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		4.66 s1.55 s2.69 s4.25 s7.11 s39.5 in
(1.00 m)		10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		10 reps
All values from Pro Day[6]

After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft, Davis signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent on April 30, 2022.[7] He was part of the last cuts to reach the 53 player limit and was signed with the Dallas' practice squad on August 31.[8] On October 15, Davis was elevated to the active roster.[9] He was signed to the active roster on October 29.[10] In Week 13, in a 54–19 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Davis scored his first NFL rushing touchdown.[11] As a rookie, he became the team's third running back after Rico Dowdle was lost for the season in October. He was used sparingly in 12 games, making 38 carries for 161 yards and one touchdown.[12]

In 2023, despite starter Ezekiel Elliott leaving, Davis was passed on the depth chart by Tony Pollard, Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke. He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14] He appeared in 3 games as an injury replacement and did not record any stat.

He signed a reserve/future contract with Dallas on January 17, 2024.[15] He was waived by the Cowboys on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad.[16][17] He did not appear in any games.

Davis signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 8, 2025. He was waived on April 30, to clear roster space for rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.[18] He was re-signed on August 8, to provide depth for the last 2 preseason games.[19] Davis was waived again on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[20][21] He was promoted to the active roster on November 3.[22] Davis was waived the following day, and was re-signed to the practice squad three days later.[23][24] In Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders, he became the team's backup behind Javonte Williams, after Miles Sanders was lost to injury and Blue couldn't produce. Davis was promoted back to the active roster on November 22.[25] In Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had a 43-yard rushing touchdown. In Week 17 against the Washington Commanders, he had 20 carries for 103 rushing yards. On January 3, 2026, Davis was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to calf and eye injuries suffered in Week 17 against the Washington Commanders.[26] He finished with 250 yards on 52 carries and 2 touchdowns.

In 2026, he won the backup running back job behind Williams in preseason. On September 11, 2026, he suffered a hip injury during a practice and was placed on the injured reserve.[27]

NFL statistics

[edit]
Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Kickoff return Fumbles
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2022DAL 120381614.223166310.5180-----00
2023DAL 30000.000000.000-----00
2024DAL -------------------
2025DAL 100522504.84322168.0100-----00
2026DAL 00000.000000.0000000000
Career250904114.64338798.0180-----00

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Carroll, Brandon (January 5, 2022). "Florida Gators RB Malik Davis Declares for 2022 NFL Draft". FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Baker, Matt (August 26, 2021). "Why Jesuit alumnus Malik Davis is the Gators' X-factor". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  3. ↑ Andreu, Robbie (October 5, 2017). "UF's Malik Davis just scratching surface of potential". Daily Commercial. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Malik Davis College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Malik Davis - Football". Florida Gators Athletics. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Malik Davis College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ Walker, Patrik (August 22, 2022). "Malik Davis Could Force Cowboys To Keep 4 RBs". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Malik Davis: Lands on Cowboys' practice squad". CBS Sports. August 31, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ Drummond, K.D. (October 15, 2022). "Cowboys move 2 to IR, add RB to 54-man roster vs Eagles for Week 6". Cowboys Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ Alper, Josh (October 29, 2022). "Cowboys add Malik Davis, Qadree Ollison to roster with Ezekiel Elliott doubtful to play". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Cowboys' Malik Davis: Scores first career TD". CBSSports.com. December 5, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Malik Davis 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ Harris, Nick (August 29, 2023). "Cowboys announce 36 roster moves ahead of regular season". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ Walker, Patrik (August 30, 2023). "Cowboys move two to IR, reveal 2023 practice squad". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Cowboys' Malik Davis: Signs reserve/future deal". CBSSports.com. January 18, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Walker, Patrik (August 27, 2024). "2024 Cowboys Roster: Carl Lawson, Kemon Hall, 4 RBs included in roster trimming". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  17. ↑ Walker, Patrik (August 28, 2024). "Carl Lawson, Dalvin Cook headline list of Dallas Cowboys' practice squad signings". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Updates: Cowboys make first set of roster moves". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Updates: One reason Ferguson practiced Friday". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  20. ↑ Walker, Patrik. "2025 Roster Tracker: Deuce among list of Cowboys cuts". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  21. ↑ Walker, Patrik. "2025 Cowboys Roster: Holden, Grier fill out practice squad". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Cowboys' Malik Davis: Signed ahead of Monday's game". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  23. ↑ "NFL Transactions: Tuesday 11/4". Retrieved September 11, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Malik Davis: Signs with Dallas' practice squad". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  25. ↑ Brock, Todd. "Cowboys waive 1st-round CB after trading for him in March; sign RB". Cowboys Wire. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Javonte Williams, Malik Davis to IR; Cowboys activate Mafah, more". dallascowboys.com. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Cowboys RB Malik Davis set for hip surgery, placed on IR". ESPN. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
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