Over the last few years, the Dallas Cowboys have frustrated fans with their unwillingness to invest much in an offensive position that has been critical to the team’s success: running back. They let Tony Pollard walk in free agency after the 2023 season and declined to make a run at free-agent Derrick Henry. They still managed a solid running game, though, with Rico Dowdle emerging as the No. 1 back. But then they let Dowdle walk, too.
Instead, the Cowboys brought in Javonte Williams from the Broncos and gave him a one-year, $3 million contract laced with incentives. After finishing with 1,201 yards in 16 games, Williams hit all his incentives and earned another $1 million in bonuses. He now heads into free agency. And with the Cowboys’ recent history, they’re not likely to open the checkbook for Williams.
Most likely, the Cowboys will continue their tradition of adding bargain running backs and hoping they pan out in the end, which has not been a bad strategy, in the end. But what if a special running back talent–like Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love–falls into their laps in the NFL draft?
Jeremiyah Love to Dallas?
That’s the scenario in the latest USA Today mock draft, which has the Cowboys passing on the opportunity to use their first pick in the first round–slated at No. 12–to bolster their defense and instead using it on a running back. Again, that seems like an investment that Cowboys can’t afford to make, and that recent history says they would not make.
But maybe Love, who racked up 1,372 yards this season in 12 games with 18 rushing touchdowns (and another three as a receiver) would inspire the Cowboys to change their minds as they let Williams hit free agency.
Here’s how the USA Today mock sees it: “Love is the most dynamic offensive weapon in this draft and cannot fall farther than the Cowboys. He’s the ideal back for the modern NFL with solid size (6-foot, 214 pounds), game-changing speed and proven ability as a receiver out of the backfield. The Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2025 with Javonte Williams at running back. Adding Love in could make them terrifying for opponents.”
GettyDallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams.
Cowboys Need to Address Defensive Woes
No doubt, Love would be an intriguing fit for the Cowboys out of the backfield. But this is a team coming off a year in which they finished 32nd in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed and fired their defensive coordinator. To come back to the draft three-plus months later and use the first pick to bolster an offense that ranked second in yardage and seventh in points would be a head-scratcher.
The Cowboys need linebackers, and there are a handful with the potential to go in the first round–most notably Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles from Ohio State. The Cowboys need edge rushers. They need cornerbacks. The team beefed up its defensive line last season, but every other unit on the defense needs help, and the Cowboys have No. 12 and the Packers‘ pick in the 20s to address those areas.
Love would be a luxury item for an already talented offense. They need more investment in their poverty-stricken defense.
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