The Dallas Cowboys made a middling investment at running back in 2025 with a 1-year, $3 million contract for free agent Javonte Williams — a deal with numbers so low it didn’t even guarantee him a place on the 53-man roster.
The Cowboys watched that investment pay off in a big way as Williams ran wild in his 1st season in Dallas, rushing for career highs across the board with 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry.
Instead of letting Williams hit the free-agent market for a 2nd consecutive year, the Cowboys went all-in, signing the 2021 2nd round pick to a 3-year, $24 million contract.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox called Williams falling back to his old ways and being a “one hit wonder” as the worst-case scenario for the Cowboys offense in 2026.
“It’s hard to envision the Cowboys offense regressing much, barring injuries, of course,” Knox wrote on June 15. “However, Dallas will have plenty riding on the ability of (George) Pickens and Williams to replicate their 2025 success … Williams, meanwhile, is coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career, and the Cowboys don’t have much proven depth behind him. If he and Pickens both regress, Dallas’ offense could be closer to average than elite.”
Broncos Gave Up on Williams After 4 Seasons
Williams was a 2nd round pick (No. 35 overall) by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft after rushing for over 1,100 yards and earning All-American honors for the University of North Carolina in 2020.
His career took off like a rocket with the Broncos when he earned All-Rookie honors in 2021 after he racked up 1,219 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns, including 903 rushing yards. In 2022, a devastating knee injury put Williams’ career in jeopardy after he tore his ACL, LCL, and PCL in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In the 2 seasons after his injury, Williams was almost completely ineffective. He led the Broncos with 774 rushing yards in 2023, then saw his numbers dip even more in 2024 when he rushed for 513 yards and averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in 16 starts.
“Happy for Javonte, by all accounts he worked diligently to get back to form after injuries in Denver,” NFL reporter Peter Jennings wrote on X. “RB might be the most brutal position in sports and it’s hard to get a payday.”
“Javonte Williams among RBs last season: 896 yards after contact (6th). 54 missed tackles forced (7th), 11 rushing touchdowns (8th),” PFF Fantasy wrote on its official X account. “STAYING IN DALLAS.”
Williams Did Dirty Work for Cowboys in 2025
Williams was a long shot to star for the Cowboys in 2025 but became a vital part of the NFL’s No. 2 offense just 1 year after the Broncos cut bait after he rushed for 513 yards and 4 touchdowns while averaging just 3.7 yards per carry in 2024 while playing in all 17 games.
Even more incredible about Williams’ big year is that he did it while the Cowboys asked him to do something most running backs hate, and to do it more than any other NFL running back — block.
“Javonte Williams leads all NFL running backs with 104 pass block snaps, per PFF, and his 97.9% pass block efficiency is third among running backs in 2025 with at least 50 pass block snaps, behind Travis Etienne Jr. (99.1% on 54 snaps) and Rhamondre Stevenson (98.3% on 61 snaps),” NFL insider Ed Werder wrote on his official X account on December 30.
Cowboys’ $24 Million Free-Agent RB Labeled ‘One Hit Wonder’