Emari Demercado arrived in Dallas as a late waiver claim after the cut to 53. Forty-eight hours before the season opener, he is positioned as the Cowboys' primary backup running back.
The promotion is not the product of a camp battle won in August; it is the direct result of Malik Davis's hip injury at Friday practice, an injury DallasCowboys.com says will require Saturday surgery and is expected to end with season-ending injured reserve.
Stephen Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan and quoted by the team site, described Davis's rise to No. 2 as a hard-earned journey from nowhere - then delivered the organizational closer: next man up. Demercado is that next man for Week 1 against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC).
From waiver claim to primary backup
DallasCowboys.com introduced Demercado in roster context as a TCU product claimed off waivers who returned to the Dallas area thrilled to contribute alongside Williams and Davis. The third-back label covered depth and special teams. With Davis out, NBCDFW stated the practical shift: Williams starts, and Demercado can move into the backup role.
That is a compressed arc. Demercado was not listed as the No. 2 when camp closed; Davis was, after a competition that lasted nearly the entire month of August, per Eatman's report. The waiver claim that looked like roster insurance is now the first name behind the starter.
Israel Abanikanda, on the practice squad, remains available if Dallas wants a third back via game-day elevation or an active-roster move, DallasCowboys.com reported. Demercado, though, is the player already on the 53 who inherits the snaps Davis will miss.
The path Jones praised - and the vacancy it leaves
Jones's radio comments, as carried by DallasCowboys.com, lingered on Davis as much as on the medical outlook. "Malik's done everything the right way," Jones said. "He's such a good person off the field, he works his ass off, he's come from nowhere to be our No. 2 back, and he's done it the hard way."
He called the hip issue "a pretty serious injury" and said the team must move to next man up.
