The Cowboys figure to have star running back Javonte Williams on the field for Week 16 against the Chargers, a big boost after he suffered a shoulder stinger that caused numbness in his neck and kept him limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. Speaking after practice on Thursday, Williams confirmed he’d be ready for Sunday.
“I had a stinger in my shoulder but the feeling has come back so everything should be good,” he said.
The shoulder injury was a good excuse to keep Williams sidelined a bit in practice, which is something that coach Brian Schottenheimer said was a goal of his late in the season. That’s because Williams has been a revelation in the running game, quietly stockpiling career highs in carries (230), yardage (1,113) and touchdowns (10)–he ranks in the Top 6 in the NFL in all three categories.
He’s been a bell-cow running back on a team that needed one. But he is also a free agent and, well, we have seen how things usually go for Cowboys free-agent running backs.
Cowboys Have Let RBs Walk Recently
In the last two offseasons, the Cowboys let back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers walk away in free agency without making much of an effort to re-sign them. First was Tony Pollard, who signed what turned out to be an overpriced deal with the Titans (three years, $21 million). Then there was Rico Dowdle, who signed what turned out to be a huge bargain deal (one year, $2.75 million) in Carolina.
There is hope, though, that maybe Williams will be different, maybe he can work out a deal with the Cowboys to keep him around, long-term.
The Cowboys offense clicked with him in the backfield, and owner Jerry Jones has, recently, been a big proponent of dealing with the running game on both sides of the ball. Also, Williams is only 25. Running backs usually decline sharply at around age 28, so he still has some years left in him.
GettyJerry Jones of the Cowboys
Javonte Williams Could Give Cowboys a Discount
The clincher, though, is that Williams said on Thursday he would be open to staying with the Cowboys–and that chasing the biggest money deal out there would not be his priority. That could be music to the ears of Jones, who has been so reluctant to put money into the running back position.
It’s an intriguing notion from Williams, that he might knock off some of his market value (three years, $21 million, per Spotrac) to stay put.
Speaking at The Star, he said: “We been through a lot. I feel like this is one of the most talented teams I been on. Just going out there and playing a complete game would be enough for me. …
“You don’t always want to just follow money and things like that. You want to go somewhere where you actually want to succeed and be a part of something that’s special. So, I feel like it’s very special here. But I am just trying to keep making plays right now and see how it turns out.”
Javonte Williams: ‘I Know You Gotta Finish Strong’
Williams did say that he is not thinking fully about free agency just now, and there is always the danger that the Cowboys will look at his success this year and that the team will, rather than reward him, instead seek to just find another veteran free agent they can sign on another minimum deal and get the same production.
Williams said he is not thinking that far ahead, either way: “I ain’t even thought that far ahead yet. I am really just focused on this little last couple of games stretch. But, I mean, I know you gotta finish strong no matter what you’re doing. Just finishing strong is my main goal. But I love it here. I love my teammates. I love everybody. So I mean, just going to keep going, see how these last games go.”
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