FRISCO, Texas – When the Cowboys waived RB Malik Davis back in April, head coach Brian Schottenheimer thought that maybe the fourth-year back out of his alma mater, Florida, needed a change of scenery.
For some, that change of scenery can be good and spark success for players that hadn't had the best opportunities in the past. In Davis' case, he returned home, worked out for a few teams, but ultimately nobody bit. Then Davis re-signed with the Cowboys a day before their first preseason game, and there was something different.
"He was a different person," Schottenheimer said. "The way he approached everything from the preparation, from the professionalism, everything was different. And that's the power of being on the outside looking in, and the day he came back and walked into Oxnard and I saw him, I knew it was different."
Sure enough, less than a day after arriving in Oxnard for training camp, Davis played against the Rams and wound up leading the team in rushing with 63 yards on seven carries.
Fast forward to the regular season, and despite being waived and re-signed to the practice squad twice and being named to the active roster twice as well, Davis has carved himself a role as the Cowboys' second option at running back behind Javonte Williams, where he's second on the team with 250 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries in 10 games.
On Christmas against the Commanders, all of the gymnastics and uncertainty paid off. With Williams nursing a shoulder injury, the Cowboys leaned on Davis to get the job done on the ground against Washington, who was slowly but sure climbing back into the game. Davis responded by posting his first-career 100 yard rushing game with 103 yards on 20 carries.
"When you go out and you're able to show the work you've been putting in, it's very fulfilling. It always feels good." Davis said.
The approach that Davis has taken is simple: Prove himself not to the people, but to his peers, teammates and coaches.
"It's a great feeling, to be able to show my peers, my teammates and the coaches I am who I am, and proving it to myself," Davis said. "It all comes from God, I prayed for a lot of the stuff that's happening now. It's a great feeling when you're able to prove it to your peers and coaches."
With proving himself in those opportunities comes earning trust from his peers and coaches first, something Davis felt he did early and often.
"I've always felt like I earned the trust just from the way I come in every day, besides what's happening on Sundays, but how I carry myself as not just a football player but as a person, and how I come in every day and handle my business." Davis said.
The trust is evident, especially when QB Dak Prescott speaks about him. Prescott has said that there's no bigger fan of Davis than he is, and seeing Davis excel in these settings is something that's easy for Prescott to root for.
"When he first got his opportunity, he's went in, and he's continued to just build off of that honestly. In this game, right here was another example of that, his number was called, and he went out there and was physical…" Prescott said.
"He's a hell of a player and he's only going to get better. It's the way that he approaches the game. It's his mindset in life, and we're thankful to have him."
The admiration Prescott has for Davis runs so deep that Prescott checked stats mid-game to see what Davis' rushing total was. When he saw it was 90 yards, he told Davis he was 10 yards away and he wanted him to reach the century mark.
The issue was an injury Davis had sustained to his eye, as he had his helmet pulled to the side by one player, was hit by another, and the pressure from the ear padding his helmet was in his face, causing his eye to swell. That was nowhere near enough to discourage him from reaching 100 yards.
"I didn't know at all until [Prescott] told me in the huddle," Davis said. "I'm like, 'Oh yea, I've got to get this.' Even when my eye got hurt, I'm like, 'I've got to stay in the game.' He just put that in my head, I'm just like, 'I can't come out.'"
He did not end up coming out, and is hoping that he can come out next week against the Giants in Week 18. Davis was wearing sunglasses in the locker room on Monday but says he can see and hoping to play in Dallas' season finale.
While Davis may not have physically been able to see well following Thursday's game, he has envisioned his performance, and now has a chance to keep building on it.
"I prayed for it, Davis said. "I can't say that I didn't' see it coming, because I prayed for it, I asked God, I told him this is what I want to do, and it's happening."
