Blogging The Boys
Pay more attention to these names heading into the 2026 season.
Phil Mafah
When a running back brings the size and power Mafah does to the table, it’s only natural to find ways to get him on the field and let him wear down opposing defenses. Fans likely would have seen more from the young back last season if not for the shoulder injury that sidelined him until the season finale, in which he punched in a goal-line touchdown. That’s the type of role Mafah needs to carve out for himself as he battles for more snaps this year.
Dallas would love to keep starting running back Javonte Williams fresh and healthy throughout the season, and one way to accomplish that is by handing more of the goal-line work to Mafah. At 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, he has the frame to punish defenders and move the pile in short-yardage situations. It benefits everyone involved. Williams takes fewer unnecessary hits, while Mafah gives the Cowboys a true battering ram in the red zone, someone capable of turning tough yards into touchdowns.
Brevyn Spann-Ford
Like Mafah, Spann-Ford enters the season behind an established starter in Jake Ferguson. However he managed to carve out a role for himself last year as Dallas’ primary blocking tight end. This season presents an opportunity to expand that role. With Luke Schoonmaker’s standing on the roster far from secure, Spann-Ford has a chance to climb the depth chart if he proves he can be a more consistent receiving threat. The red-zone portion of training camp could be the perfect place to make that statement.
Standing 6-foot-7, Spann-Ford presents matchup problems few defenders are equipped to handle near the goal line. Rather than limiting him to blocking duties in those situations, Dallas should look for ways to take advantage of his size and create mismatches in the passing game. He’s shown reliable hands when given opportunities, and expanding his role as a receiver could help the Cowboys become more efficient inside the 20. Before that happens, though, he’ll need to overtake Schoonmaker and establish himself as the clear TE2.
Roster cuts are on the horizon.
3. Traeshon Holden, WR
If Cowboys fans should keep an eye on one unknown receiver during training camp, it’s Traeshon Holden. CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin make up the top of the depth chart, but the fifth WR spot is up for grabs. That spot could be Holden’s if he has just as good a camp as he had last year.
Whenever Holden was on the practice field last summer, he made plays. [The biggest was a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on a Joe...
