The Dallas Cowboys took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the late-afternoon game of the three-game Thanksgiving slate. The Cowboys have one of the better offenses in the league and can hurt a defense from many different areas.
Few other teams have as good a wide receiver tandem as CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, tight end Jake Ferguson is reliable, and veteran running back Javonte Williams has had a career resurgence in Dallas. That's why when the Cowboys scored their second touchdown of the day, spectators had no clue who it was that had scored for them.
Dallas was on offense, and everyone watched as No. 43 took off on a 43-yard scamper to the end zone. The player came out of the backfield, but it wasn't Williams. It was backup running back Malik Davis, who scored not only his second touchdown of his career on the carry, but his first in three years.
Here is more on Davis and the scoring drought he ended on Thanksgiving against the Chiefs.
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Who is Malik Davis?
Davis was born in Tampa Florida on November 26, 1998. He stayed local growing up and spent his collegiate career at Florida from 2017-2021. Davis played in 46 total games for the Gators. He totaled 1,470 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and added 726 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Davis went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys. Davis has spent the majority of his career jumping between the active roster and the practice squad, mainly as depth at the running back position.
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Malik Davis career stats
Davis saw action in 12 games as a rookie in 2022. He suited up for three games in 2023, didn't play in 2024 and then has played in six games in 2025 so far.
20 games
48 carries
211 rushing yards
1 rushing TD
6 receptions
7 targets
63 receiving yards
0 receiving TDs
A day after his 27th birthday, Davis found the endzone for his second career touchdown, and his first since 2022.
First rushing TD since 2022 for Malik Davis 💨
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— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2025
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Cowboys RB depth chart
Position Player Name
1 Javonte Williams
2 Malik Davis
3 Jaydon Blue -- OUT
4 Phil Mafah -- IR
5 Miles Sanders -- IR
The Cowboys have had a revolving door behind Williams. The veteran running back is the unquestioned No. 1 running back for the team and came into Thanksgiving with 896 yards and eight rushing touchdowns through 11 games.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is second on the team with 38 carries. After that, there is a wide mix of running backs. Rookie running back Jaydon Blue has the third-most carries for Dallas, but the coaching staff wants to keep him on the practice squad to give him more reps. Miles Sanders has the fourth-most carries on the team, and he played in only four games and is on season-ending injured reserve.
Davis came into the game with only 10 carries on the season. He had done well with them, picking up 50 yards, but that was largely due to a 21-yard gain earlier in the year.