One of the primary questions for the Cowboys as they entered training camp was a familiar one: Who’s going to be the first-team running back? The team is trying, for the second straight season, to simply churn its way through running backs until its “committee” sorts itself out. But one has apparently risen to status as committee chair: Javonte Williams.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones indicated that the team was leaning toward making Williams the RB1 last week.
“Certainly Javonte is gonna be a really, really good running back for us this year. [We] look forward as we head toward to the preseason and ultimately the season and seeing what he can do for us,” Jones told the team site.
And over the weekend, evidence only supported that notion.
Javonte Williams Held Out of Preseason
Williams did not play for the Cowboys in the second preseason game (he did not in the first, either), the 31-13 loss to the Ravens. While he sat out, no one took advantage of the opportunity to move up the depth chart. The Cowboys tallied 51 yards rushing on 20 carries on the day.
The quarterbacks had four rushes for 13 yards, which means the running back room accounted for 38 yards on 16 carries, a rather sad 2.4 yards per carry.
The Cowboys have held out their offensive starters in preseason games, an indication that they’ve already determined Williams is their guy.
As the Blogging the Boys site noted, “With just one preseason game remaining for the Dallas Cowboys, only one thing has become almost inevitable at the running back position—Javonte Williams will likely be the first one in the huddle when the offense takes their first snap of the regular season in Philadelphia on opening night.
“In back-to-back weeks, Williams has not taken a snap on offense in the preseason and has sat with other key starters, such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and George Pickens.”
Cowboys Landed Williams From Denver
After four seasons with the Broncos–who made him a second-round pick in 2021 and saw him rush for 903 yards as a rookie (with another 316 yards receiving)–Williams fell out of favor and landed in Dallas with a one-year, $3 million contract, making him the highest paid back in a room that totals just $8 million in salary for six players, not all of whom will make the team.
The Cowboys will spend about $6 million on 53-man roster running backs this season, which amounts to about what they’ll pay Dak Prescott for two games of work.
Cowboys Going Cheap at RB (Again)
The Cowboys’ bottom-of-the-barrel approach to the RB position backfired a bit last season, as they wound up 27th in yards on the ground, at 1,705. Of course, Prescott was injured and the offensive line fell apart, so just about everything was a disaster last season, and the running game should be put into that context.
This year, Williams and veteran Miles Sanders were signed as the veteran stabilizers, and young backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah will provide depth. Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis are still around, though likely not for long.
The Cowboys’ RB room is not impressive, much like last year, but it is cheap. Much like last year.
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