In light of Johnathan Hankins being ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Dallas Cowboys are elevating Carl Davis from the practice squad.
That means Davis will reinforce the Cowboys' defensive line depth, specifically at nose tackle. After all, replacing a 6-2, 320-pound behemoth like Hankins is no easy job.
Davis has 72 games played in seven seasons in the NFL and this will be his 2023 debut after signing with the Cowboys in November. A former third-round draft pick, Davis has played most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, with short stints with three other teams.
Ultimately, Davis' role will likely be more about depth than anything else. Mazi Smith, the first-round rookie nose tackle, is expected to see an increased workload on Sunday. While he's shown some flaws, he also has had some explosive moments that highlight why the Cowboys were so high on him in April.
"Mazi keeps getting better with each and every opportunity," McCarthy told reporters earlier this week. "You can just see the confidence and the understanding."
The Cowboys are also elevating running back Malik Davis ahead of the game, an unexpected decision after elevating rookie TE Princeton Fant in back to back weeks.
The Cowboys are elevating DT Carl Davis and RB Malik Davis from the practice squad, per a source. With Johnathan Hankins out Carl Davis’ 335-pound frame is needed. With the expected rain, Cowboys wanted another inside runner in Malik Davis with Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) December 16, 2023
Davis gives the Cowboys a fourth running back for the game, which is very relevant considering weather forecasts call for rain in Buffalo on Sunday. Davis will join a group made up of Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, and Hunter Luepke (fullback).
How much he will be involved is anyone's guess but the Cowboys will be ready to go in case they need to dig deep in the run game.
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