Cowboys' Malik Davis Receives Punishment For Preseason Infraction vs. Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis will be a little lighter in the wallet after receiving a fine for an infraction during the preseason.

According to the NFL's official website, where all fines are listed, the league handed down a $6,735 fine to Davis for unnecessary roughness as a result of an illegal use of the helmet.

The infraction occurred in the first quarter of the preseason Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals at the 12:07 mark. The play saw Davis pick up five yards on a carry. He was not penalized following the play, though.

We only found out about this fine recently, as the NFL hands down all of the preseason punishments after the exhibition slate is over.

Davis was the only Cowboys player to get a fine in the preseason. The biggest fine in the league went to Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Tytus Howard, who got hit with a $12,537 punishment for unnecessary roughness in preseason Week 1.

Davis is in the second year of a two-year, $2.1 million contract. His base salary is $1.1 million for 2026, so the fine works out to roughly 0.6% of his salary.

All fines collected by the NFL are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation, "to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game," the NFL writes.

Malik Davis' role with Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis. — Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis (20) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys had a competition for the RB2 job all offseason long between Davis, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.

While it looked like Blue might secure the job or at least a roster spot, the Cowboys ended up cutting him, along with Mafah, and Davis secured the backup job behind Javonte Williams. Blue's inability to make the cut was one of the bigger surprises on cutdown day for Dallas.

Neither player ended up returning to the practice squad and instead the Cowboys signed Israel Abanikanda to the group.

Blue has since landed on his feet on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles, but Mafah remains a free agent.

"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," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Blue and Mafah.

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue. — Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue (23) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"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 in an unfortunate situation like that," Schottenheimer added.

Davis was quiet for most of the offseason, which is why it seemed like Blue might win the job. However, Davis appeared to take control after an impressive showing in the aforementioned preseason contest against Arizona.

After only carrying two true running backs on their initial 53-man roster (Hunter Luepke was kept, but he's a fullback), the Cowboys decided to claim Emari Demercado off waivers.

Demercado offers another backup option behind Williams and is someone who can contribute on special teams. Demercado also has a knack for ripping off chunk gains and he's a solid pass-catcher and pass protector.

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