Phil Mafah Injury News & Updates

The Cowboys placed Mafah (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday.

Mafah suffered a shoulder injury during the preseason finale and will now be sidelined for a minimum of the first four games of the regular season. He'll likely be buried on the depth chart when he returns, but the Cowboys' running back situation is quite uncertain entering the season.

The Cowboys plan to place Mafah (shoulder) on IR ahead of Week 1, though the plan is for the running back to return this season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Mafah got banged up during the Cowboys' preseason finale, and now it appears as though the 2025 seventh-rounder is headed to IR, though not the season-ending variety. Assuming the transaction is timed as expected, Mafah would be eligible to resume practicing after missing a minimum of four games.

Mafah carried the ball twice for 16 yards and a touchdown and failed to catch his only target in Friday's 31-13 preseason win over the Falcons.

The 2025 seventh-round pick didn't see a touch until the fourth quarter, only entering the game on offense after Jaydon Blue (ankle) hobbled off the field. Mafah took advantage of his opportunity however, getting two red-zone carries and punching in the second one from one yard out for Dallas' final TD of the night. Miles Sanders (shoulder) was also held out of the contest, so the Cowboys' depth chart behind presumed Week 1 starter Javonte Williams could be wide open, with Deuce Vaughn also in the mix along with Mafah for any open spots.

Mafah indicated Friday that he played through a torn labrum in his shoulder during his final college season at Clemson, Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The injury may have contributed to Mafah lasting until the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he's looked good in padded practices since training camp began, using his physicality and vision to produce some chunk plays. He's in line to see a big workload during Saturday's preseason opener against the Rams due to starter Javonte Williams likely being held out and both Miles Sanders (knee) and 2025 fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue (heel) nursing injuries. A big performance from Mafah could create a very interesting battle in the Cowboys backfield between the two veterans and the two rookies ahead of Week 1.

Mafah has gotten more reps in practice this week with Miles Sanders (knee) and Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) both sidelined, Garrett Podell of CBS Sports reports.

The 2025 seventh-round pick out of Clemson earned some plaudits from coach Brian Schottenheimer in the process. "Phil is a guy that when he moves, it's very smooth," Schottenheimer said Monday. "Very fluid. His vision is excellent and so he's a guy that I didn't really have much of a feel for in the spring because I didn't see him much." The Dallas backfield remains unsettled, but Javonte Williams hasn't done anything to lose his spot at the top of the depth chart, and Mafah still seems behind fellow rookie Jaydon Blue in the pecking order as well. Mafah's size and power could allow him to carve out a role as a short-yardage and goal-line specialist to begin his NFL career, but first he'll need to show enough in training camp and the preseason to claim a spot on the game-day roster.

The Cowboys selected Mafah in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 239th overall.

Dallas covered its bases with running back selections Day 3. In Jaydon Blue (fifth round), the Cowboys got one of the speediest backs in the class. Mafah brings the thump at 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds. He split the backfield work with Will Shipley at Clemson in 2023 and took 179 carries for 965 yards and 13 scores. As the feature back in 2024, Mafah's workload swelled to 216 carries for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns. Mafah is far from a speedster but can carve out a role as a short-yardage specialist. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders will likely see the bulk of the action this season, but a Mafah-Blue backfield could be interesting in the future.