FRISCO, Texas — Taking a hatchet to a 90-man roster to get it down to 53 players is bound to generate a surprise or two, and this year was no different for the Dallas Cowboys. One of the biggest surprises involved the decision to waive running back Jaydon Blue, and not long after notifying Phil Mafah he'd be waived as well.
The expected variable in this equation is that Malik Davis has again refused to lose the RB2 job behind Javonte Williams, and the decision to retain versatile talent Hunter Luepke for another season, but there was a belief that Blue had shown enough improvement to warrant a roster seat in 2026.
Instead, the Cowboys parted ways with Blue and then successfully claimed Emari Demercado, a TCU product that recently played for the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Emari is a guy that Klayton has some exposure to," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said ahead of Monday's practice. "A good veteran that plays special teams, and there's a lot of things that we like about him. We're excited that we were awarded him in the claiming system, and as soon as I get done here, we'll go have some more conversations."
He also addressed the decision to not award Blue and Mafah a roster spot, two former draft picks from a year ago, in the fifth and seventh round, respectively.
"When you talk about competing every day and adding value, and raising the level of competition, both those guys were drafted because we love those guys," Schottenheimer said. "I think this is more a testament to a guy like Malik Davis that has just, time in and time out, come back and proven his worth. And the way he's wired, I know both Jaydon and Phil should and will reach out to Malik, because now they're unfortunately in a situation like [what Davis has experienced several times in the past].
"But, if you want to learn from a veteran, Malik Davis would be the first call that I would make. The guy went from being on the street, not getting really hardly any looks, even workouts, and he's back in Oxnard, and now he's solidified himself as a very, very valuable member of our football team. So, it's hard to see both Jaydon and Phil go, but I really do think those guys are both landing good opportunities and maximize them."
As it stands, neither Blue nor Mafah have been re-signed to the practice squad, but they have retained Israel Abanikanda on that unit; and Schottenheimer was also transparent in that he notified his two former draft picks that it was unlikely they'd return.
"We said to both those guys that we weren't sure, that we were not sure that it would go that direction," Schottenheimer added. "And that's as honest as I could be with him."
Davis' continued consistency, physicality and ability to impact special teams as much as he does the offense behind Williams was ultimately the deciding factor in waving goodbye to Blue and Mafah; and Abanikanda was able to parlay his opportunities into a continued stay with the Cowboys as insurance at the position.
Add in Demercado on the active roster and the Cowboys have officially rounded out their RBs depth chart for 2026, and it's one that isn't hurting for talent or potential.
