The Denver Broncos thought so little of running back Javonte Williams they didn’t lift a finger to sign him in free agency despite leading the team in rushing 3 of the last 4 seasons.
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t think much more of Williams, handing him an NFL-level pittance with a 1-year, $3 million free agent contract this offseason … then proceeding to take 2 running backs in the NFL draft. Which made Williams kind of an afterthought in some quarters.
Williams, to his credit, kept his head down through the offseason and ended up not only the starting running back for the Cowboys in the regular season opener but proved to be a difference maker from the start, albeit in a 24-20 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In his first game in a Dallas uniform, Williams led the Cowboys with 54 rushing yards on 15 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns. He also had 2 receptions for 10 yards.
“The Cowboys had six rushing touchdowns last year,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on his official X account on September 4. “They have two in two drives so far tonight from Javonte Williams. They did not have two rushing touchdowns in the same game last year.”
Wildly Varied Expectations for Williams in Dallas
If Williams paid any attention to the buzz around Cowboys running backs this offseason, he would have seen a wild variation of takes — from them being possibly the worst position group in the NFL to him having a breakout season.
He also would have seen most of the positive talk centered around rookie and fifth round pick Jaydon Blue, who was getting first team reps before an ankle injury in the preseason finale on August 22 and was inactive for the season opener.
When it came down to it, Williams was really the only reliable running back the Cowboys could turn to — backup running back, fellow free agent and former Eagle Miles Sanders lost a crucial fumble deep in Philadelphia territory.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton predicted Williams could be just one of a handful of NFL running backs poised for a “Breakout Season” in 2025.
“(Williams) could have a career year with the Dallas Cowboys after his production tailed off over the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos,” Moton wrote on July 13. “Williams racked up 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2021, both of which are his high-water mark to date. In the following season, he tore his ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner. Over the last two years, he’s averaged less than 3.8 yards per carry. Now that he’s multiple years removed from that injury, Williams can claim the lead position in the Cowboys’ wide-open backfield competition.”
Williams Could Be In Line For Another Payday
If Williams can put together a whole season of production like he did in the season opener — with an emphasis on improving his yards per carry average — he could very well land a lucrative payday in 2026.
It’s worth pointing out that Williams was projected to receive a 3-year, $20 million contract before the 2024 season — a number which got sorely deflated after he put up just 513 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
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