Dallas Cowboys forced to make a roster move involving preseason darling following teammate’s season-ending injury news
The Dallas Cowboys are giving this preseason standout a chance to shine following the unfortunate season-ending injury of RB Malik Davis ahead of Week 1 versus the New York Giants.
The Dallas Cowboys’ running back room took a bit hit when No. 2 RB Malik Davis went down with a hip injury on Friday’s practice. Davis was carted off the field and is being placed on Injured Reserve, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Davis underwent season-ending surgery on Saturday.
Unfortunately, this league moves fast. And on Saturday, the Cowboys made the necessary roster move to address Davis’ absence ahead of the season opener against the New York Giants.
Cowboys sign preseason darling to the 53-man roster
The Cowboys are signing practice squad RB Israel Abanikanda to the 53-man roster.
Abanikanda was a preseason standout that missed the cut but landed right back with the Cowboys. At one point, he was looked at as a serious surprise candidate to make the 53-man roster. The fact that he stuck around even as the Cowboys waived 2025 draft picks Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah is telling.
Last month, head coach Brian Schottenheimer praised Abanikanda for his playstyle.
“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with (Abanikanda),” Schottenheimer said. “I didn’t know him, we got him late last year. Big, powerful man that runs hard, good speed. You haven’t even really seen his speed come to life, but he’s very, very fast. He’s a finisher, you would call a finisher. If he gets space, he’s hard to catch because he’s fast and powerful from the lower body down. Those guys have earned the right to get more reps with the ones.”
Now he makes the team as a result of Davis’ injury. The fact that he was signed directly to the 53-man roster instead of being elevated could suggest the team is happy with what it’s got in-house instead of looking for outside additions.
Cowboys RBs key to beating the Giants
Abanikanda will join a RB group made up of Javonte Williams, Emari Demercado and fullback Hunter Luepke. With the Cowboys facing a dangerous pass rush in New York, it will be important for them to be able to run the ball to keep the Giants defense honest.
Unfortunately, they’ll have to do so wihout Davis, who was finally getting proper credit for his play.
The Cowboys enter Sunday’s matchup as road favorites but it won’t be easy to bring down the John Harbaugh-coached Giants on primetime television.
