'He belongs': RB Malik Davis proving what Cowboys have known

How unexpected was Malik Davis's 43-yard touchdown scamper in the Cowboys' statement win in Week 13?

Well, the 27-year-old running back, who had amassed all of 10 rushing attempts and 50 yards on the season entering Thanksgiving Day, was called in by the league for a "random" drug test before he had even left the stadium following Thursday night's game.

The overlords at 345 Park Avenue may have found the breakout moment suspicious, but Davis's coaches and teammates weren't surprised in the least.

"I'm sure you can go check the film. I put my arm up early [for] the touchdown," quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters from the podium after the game. "I don't know if there's a bigger fan in our locker room than me for Malik Davis."

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer may not be far behind.

"Here's a guy that just does everything right," Schottenheimer echoed in his postgame press conference.

"He runs the touchdown in, which is great, and then he runs down on the next play and makes the tackle on special teams. That's what I want the young guys looking up to because that's what the journey's about for a lot of these young guys, right? They're not all going to grow up to be George Pickens or CeeDee Lamb or Quinnen Williams. There are a lot of guys [for whom] the journey is very different, and I'm so happy for him because he just shows and proves that he belongs right where he's at."

That's not to say Davis has been right there every single step of the way. His path to Thursday's 43-yard highlight has been dotted with more than a few speed bumps and detours.

The Tampa native went undrafted out of Florida in 2022 after five seasons of meager-to-modest stats with the Gators. Despite showing flashes of promise during camp and the preseason, the Cowboys couldn't find room for him on the initial roster behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Thus began an on-again-off-again relationship between Davis and the Dallas practice squad that has seen him waived and then re-signed by the club five times in total, three times in the past six months alone.

Added to the practice squad, elevated for gameday (or often not), maybe a couple of carries (or maybe not), back to the practice squad (for as much as an entire season), waived when a roster spot is needed, re-added eventually.

Wash, rinse, and repeat.

But Davis never stopped believing his time would come. Cut after Jaydon Blue was drafted in the third round this past April, Davis went home to Tampa and kept himself on the team's training camp schedule with his own workouts. When Blue injured an ankle just before the Cowboys' preseason opener, Schottenheimer called Davis back, knowing he'd kept himself in shape and could be ready on short notice.

Blue's slow progression to professional football readiness has been Davis's golden ticket to another opportunity. His two carries versus Denver in Week 8 were his first official carries since the 2022 season finale. Thursday's three totes versus the Chiefs represented just his 11th game with rushing attempts; he posted his longest run ever and his second career trip to the end zone with that 43-yard sprint.

The touchdown gave Dallas their first lead of the contest going into halftime, proving to be a key turning point in the 31-28 victory.

And maybe Davis' NFL career, too.

"It's a great feeling," said Davis postgame. "I told [my teammates] when I was coming off the field, I was like, 'It's no better feeling, you know?' I prayed so hard for these moments, and my teammates, they watched me, and they know what I've been going through. My family, they watched me come in and work every day, and it feels great. Now that the world can see, I'm just scratching the surface. They just saw a little peek of what I could do."

And of what some of his Cowboys teammates have seen from the very beginning.

"I've been a Malik fan from day one. Even when he was cut, I was a guy that was very disappointed," Prescott explained. "When you're a player, you see guys behind the scenes and you see what they do and how they take care of their body and the way that they approach the game and how much the game means to them. And he's the epitome of that.

"The guy came back when we signed him back, and you could just see the hunger in his eyes and the way that he approached the game, whether it was just trying to make the roster at first and then making the roster and just then being a dawg on special teams. He would say, 'Hey, that's the only reps I get; I've got to make the most of it.'

"Now that he's gotten an opportunity in the backfield, it's no surprise to me, and I'm just so excited for him. He's reaping the benefits of the hard work that he puts in, but I can tell you he's not satisfied. He's going to keep working and that's why I love him and that why I'm such a fan of him."

The league can test him for banned substances, but the thing that has gotten Davis to this point- the thing he hopes will now keep him here- won't show up on any lab analysis.

It's been there all along.

"Keep believing in yourself, and keep trusting God," Davis said. "Whatever you want, you can go get it. Just keep trusting God, keep putting in that work, and it could happen for you. Straight up."

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 'He belongs': RB Malik Davis proving what Cowboys have known