With their playoff hopes mostly in the rear-view mirror, the final three games of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 regular season should be focused on development for the future.
With a chance to be officially eliminated before they take the field on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas will likely prioritize giving their young players some chances to show what they are capable of in the coming weeks.
With that thought in mind, today we take a look at three offensive players with something to prove in Dallas’ final three regular-season matchups.
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1) RB Malik Davis
If someone told you at the start of the season that in mid-December, Malik Davis would have the second-most rushing yards of any running back on Dallas’ roster, you would have thought they were crazy. Well, here we are, and as we sit on December 17th, Davis sits behind Javonte Williams with the second-most running back rushing yards and attempts on the team.
After rookie runner Jaydon Blue struggled with consistency on and off the field in the first few weeks of the season, the Cowvoys coaching staff decided to elevate Davis to the active roster and make him their RB2. While he hasn’t gotten a ton of opportunities, the 27-year-old running back has made the most of his limited chances.
On 24 attempts, Davis has totaled 124 rushing yards, with a very impressive 50% success rate and 5.2 Y/A. Davis likely will never be a lead back in a competitive offense, but he has shown an ability to be a more than competent contributing back.
In the final three games, Davis will likely get a chance to build upon his solid 2025 campaign and further prove he can be a contributor on Dallas’ offense in 2026. If the Cowboys feel comfortable about Davis’ ability to make a significant impact next season, it may lead them to let Javonte Williams walk in free agency and pair Davis with Jaydon Blue or another rookie runner next year.
2) OT Tyler Guyton
It’s been an up-and-down season for 23-year-old left tackle Tyler Guyton. The former first-round pick has shown some potential during his second year in the league, but injuries and inconsistent performance have once again plagued the former Oklahoma Sooner.
Guyton started the year really struggling. The 23-year-old allowed 22 pressures and 17 QB hurries in Dallas’ first seven games, including allowing four or more in a single game four times. After that rough span, Guyton started to get his footing a bit. The tackle allowed nine pressures and six QB hurries over Dallas’ next four games, recording a solid 69 offensive grade over those matchups.
Unfortunately for both Guyton and the Cowboys, right as the young tackle started to play better, he was sidelined by an injury. Guyton suffered a high-ankle sprain during Dallas’ Week 12 matchup against the Eagles, and he has not appeared in a game since.
Even with the Cowboys out of the playoff picture, Guyton has plenty to prove in Dallas’ final three regular-season games. If he is unable to get back on the field, or does return to play but falls back into bad habits, it’s hard to see the Cowboys being comfortable relying on him as their starting left tackle in 2026.
If the Cowboys want to be a Super-Bowl-caliber team in 2026, they need Guyton to be at least an adequate starting tackle. In the next three games, Guyton has a chance to prove that his mid-season progress was not a fluke but a sign of things to come.
3) TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
One positive to come out of a rather disappointing season for the Cowboys has been the development of second-year tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. While the 25-year-old has not been given a chance to make a significant impact in the passing game, he has consistently been Dallas’ most productive run-blocking tight end this year.
On the season, Spann-Ford has a very impressive 75.4 run-blocking grade. The former undrafted free agent has made multiple key blocks that have led to big runs and consistently shown the ability to move even the biggest defenders with ease.
As the season has gone on, Spann-Ford seems to have earned more trust from Dallas’ coaching staff. With 27-year-old tight end Luke Schoonmaker anything but a guarantee to be on the Cowboys’ roster in 2026, Dallas needs to use these final three games to see what they can unlock in Spann-Ford.
It’s clear he’s an impressive athlete, and Spann-Ford has made some plays when given a chance to make an impact in the passing game. Over the coming weeks, Spann-Ford has a chance to prove he should be Dallas’ number two tight end next season.
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