Davis Hip Injury Opens a Hole at Running Back, and Dallas Fills It With Abanikanda

The Cowboys signed Israel Abanikanda after a hip injury to Davis thinned an already modest backfield ahead of Week 1. It's a familiar pattern this preseason — a position gets nicked, the depth chart gets shorter, and Dallas reaches for whoever is available.

Javonte Williams is the established name here, the back who carried the ground game last season and figures to do so again. But the depth behind him has been a question all camp, and losing Davis before the opener makes it a louder one. Abanikanda is listed Out in the current injury report, which means Dallas signed a player who isn't immediately available — not ideal, but it at least adds a body to a room that needed one.

This is the third position group in as many weeks where the Cowboys have had to scramble. The offensive line has been the bigger story — Tyler Smith on IR, the guard situation down to essentially one reliable option — but the backfield situation is worth watching. If Williams misses any time, there isn't an obvious answer behind him right now.