To this point in the summer, there has been plenty of discussion regarding the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 running back room. While the position group as a whole has stolen some headlines, much of the conversation has centered around which runner will serve as the backup to the newly re-signed Javonte Williams.
At this point one year ago, it would have been hard to imagine Williams being where he is today. When Dallas signed the former Denver Bronco to a one-year deal last season, some questioned if he would even
finish the 2025 season as Dallas’ lead back. Fast forward to today, and the 26-year-old is not only firmly cemented as one of the Cowboys’ top offensive weapons, but is also fresh off signing a new three-year deal.
Williams was undoubtedly one of the most productive running backs in all of football last season. The former second-round pick finished in the top 10 in rushing yards (1,201), 10+ yard runs (26), Yards After Contact (896), and YPA (4.8). Williams provided stability to a Cowboys’ running back room that desperately needed it, and his career year helped lead Dallas to finish top 10 in team rushing Y/A for the first time since 2021.
While there is no denying how good Williams was last season, he did endure a heavy workload while doing so. For the first time in his five-year NFL career, Williams played 250+ SNPs (snaps lined up on the field on run plays) and recorded 250+ rushing attempts, via Pro Football Focus. His 278 SNPs and 252 rushing attempts were the 11th and 10th most of any running back in the league, respectively.
This workload is not par for the course for the North Carolina product. After entering the league and starting 16 games back in 2021, injury issues and inconsistent play limited the runner to 54 and 166 offensive snaps in 2022 and 2024. Williams’ ACL tear in October of 2022 severely impacted his final two years in Denver, and he himself has admitted he did not feel fully back until last season in Dallas.
While much of the conversation this summer has been about which runner will serve as Williams’ backup, there needs to be more focus on how the Cowboys can manage their starter’s workload this season. There is no denying that Williams was a very productive runner last year, but he played much better when he was fresh at the start of the year.
In Dallas’ first 10 games of the regular season, Williams recorded 809 rushing yards, an average of 81 per game, to go with a very impressive 5.0 Y/A. In the final six games he played in, those numbers dropped to 392 rushing yards and a pedestrian 4.3 Y/A. Rushing success will always impact overall team success, but Williams’ individual performance played a large part in how Dallas played as a whole last year. When he recorded 85 or more rushing yards, the Cowboys were 5-1-1. When he went for 83 or fewer, Dallas was 2-7.
It was evident in the final six games of the regular season that Williams’ increased workload impacted his ability to bring that early-season explosiveness week in and week out. This year, the Cowboys need to find a way to not let history repeat itself.
Whether it’s Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, or a runner from outside the organization, the Cowboys need to prioritize finding a runner capable of a 60/40 split on carries early in the regular season. Doing so would allow Dallas to hopefully have Williams healthy and at his best as they head into a potential postseason run.
Who do you think will get the second-most carries at running back for the Cowboys in 2006?
