If you’ve been paying attention to the Dallas Cowboys offense at any point in the last 5 years, you understand running back is of the lowest priority for their offense.
In that span, the Cowboys have given record-setting contracts to their quarterback, Dak Prescott, and star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. They’ve also made a blockbuster trade for another elite wide receiver, George Pickens, as well as drafting 3 offensive linemen in the first round.
So, yeah, running back isn’t really something the Cowboys care about that much. And that’s despite having back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yard rushers in current Carolina Panthers star Rico Dowdle in 2024 and Javonte Williams in 2025.
The Cowboys are happy, instead, to waste low-round picks on non-entities who don’t pan out like 2025 fifth round pick Jaydon Blue and 2025 seventh round pick Phil Mafah. They’re happy to hand out piddling contracts to players like Williams, who came to Dallas on a 1-year, $3 million contract.
That’s not really a formula for long term success. Which means the Cowboys might have to cough up an early-round pick if they want to keep getting the cut-rate bargains (and production) they’ve gotten with Dowdle and Williams in recent years.
Cowboys Perfect Fit for Big Ten RB of the Year
Long gone are the days of the University of Nebraska being a football powerhouse.
NIL didn’t help. Hiring Matt Rhule didn’t help. Having 90,000 fans show up every Saturday doesn’t help.
The Cornhuskers have 7 losing seasons in the last decade, haven’t finished more than 2 games above .500 since going 9-4 in 2016. They also haven’t been a national championship contender in over 20 years.
What they do have, however, is a really, really good running back in Emmett Johnson.
Johnson had a breakout season as a junior in 2025, rushing for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry to go with 40 receptions for 370 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year and announced he was leaving school with one year of eligibility remaining to enter the 2026 NFL draft, where he’s projected as a third or fourth round pick.
Bleacher Report has Johnson labeled as a perfect fit for the Cowboys.
“Johnson is one of the best and most impactful running backs in college football,” Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson wrote. “He has proved that if Nebraska wants to run the offense through him, he is more than capable. He is a quick, decisive runner who can be a weapon in the passing game.”
Williams Likely One-and-Done With Cowboys
The Cowboy and spendthrift owner Jerry Jones are almost certainly not going to pay Williams a dime more than he made in 2025, meaning he’ll likely go elsewhere.
The thinking here is that no matter who the Cowboys put behind their elite offensive line is going to get big yards as long as they can stay healthy.
“League-wide, the running back market has been squeezed quite a bit in recent years, with many front offices growing weary of investing heavily at a position where production can often be found cheaper in the draft or by committee,” Heavy’s Beth Mishler-Elmore wrote on December 9. “Will the Cowboys let Williams walk in 2026? They may not have a choice.”
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