FRISCO, Texas — While the Cowboys weren't exactly quiet during free agency this spring, there is still plenty of work to do for this team that finished 7-9-1 in 2025.
Not only did they add some key players in free agency and via trades, but they also re-signed some of the core depth as well.
Still, there are other guys on this team that must take that next step in order for the Cowboys to be successful in 2026.
Today, we'll continue the Next Man Up series with running back Phil Mafah.
- Name: Phil Mafah
- Position: Running back
- Experience: 1 year
- Games Played/Starts: 1/0
- Years Left on Contract: 3 years
- How Acquired: 7th round, 239th overall pick (2025)
- Key Stat: Scored first career TD in 2025 finale
The Past: Mafah was quite the talent at Clemson. His collegiate career involved a steady improvement year-over-year, going from rushing for just 292 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman in 2021, to 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season, one year removed from delivering a career-high 13 touchdowns for the Tigers in 13 games played. His ability to do the heavy lifting at the position is what attracted the Cowboys to him in the first place.
The Present: Once he got the call from the front office in Dallas last April, things were looking up for Mafah, despite being a late-round pick. The thought was that his physical style of running would complement the home run ability of Jaydon Blue wonderfully, but both would soon discover just how tough becoming an impact player in the NFL can be. For Mafah, it wasn't performance- or practice-based, though. His impressive training camp and preseason were followed by a shoulder injury that mostly made his rookie season a redshirt year.
The Future: Mafah's lone game played as a rookie was in the regular season finale, and given he had barely gotten any practice last season because of his long run on injured reserve, expectations had to be tempered. He flashed once or twice on his five handoffs, including getting his first NFL touchdown, and there's excitement for what he'll bring to the RB competition in Year 2. He'll need to hit the ground running though, because with Javonte Williams now the definitive RB1 in Dallas, Mafah will be pitted against Blue and Malik Davis, the latter coming off of a career year, to try and carve out a name for himself in the RB2/RB3 space.
