After a solid preseason and many fans hoping he’d make the Cowboys’ 2025 roster, running back Phil Mafah is going to start the year on injured reserve. The seventh-round rookie has an unspecified shoulder issue that will keep him off the 53 until at least Week 5, when he’d first be eligible to return.
Mafah played through a labrum tear in his left shoulder during his senior year at Clemson, having surgery in late December. He missed the Scouting Combine and his Pro Day as he recovered, which is part of why he fell so far in the 2025 NFL Draft. It is not yet known if the current issue is associated with that injury, or if it’s even the same shoulder.
Over the Cowboys’ three preseason games, Mafah has earned a following with his limited touches. He has shown the power that many expected, especially on a carry last Friday when he bulldozed through multiple Falcons for extra yardage. He’s also shown the ability to catch and run with the ball, with good agility for a power back.
With Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue having two spots on the RB depth chart locked up, Mafah was one of several fighting for third. He’d already beaten Miles Sanders in the court of public opinion and presented a major stylistic contrast to another hopeful in Deuce Vaughn.
It remains to be seen if Sanders, Vaughn, or Malik Davis claims that last spot. But with the added note that Mafah is expected to return later this season, whoever of them makes the roster now may only be a temp. Mafah could be eligible to return after Week 5, assuming he’s one of the two players Dallas is using that provision on. Of players placed on IR before Week 1, only two are eligible to return during the year. WR Jonathan Mingo is already expected to be one of those guys.
However it shakes out, Phil Mafah’s time with the Cowboys isn’t ending within the next 24 hours. As the team whittles down its roster ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, this was another way to trim a spot without losing the player.
50 CommentsSee More:
