After a season that reignited the Cowboys’ ground game, Javonte Williams is heading into free agency - and the front office has a decision to make.
Let’s start with the facts: Williams was a force in 2025. After missing preseason action and entering the year with more questions than answers, the former Bronco quickly silenced any doubts.
His Week 1 debut set the tone, and from there, he never looked back. With his downhill, punishing style and ability to pop off chunk plays - runs of 22, 30, 66, 33, 20, and 21 yards - Williams gave Dallas something it had been missing: a legitimate, consistent rushing threat.
He finished the season with a career-high 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, making him arguably the best free-agent pickup of the Brian Schottenheimer era. For a one-year, $3 million investment, the Cowboys got tremendous value.
Now comes the tricky part.
Williams is set to hit the open market again, and while Cowboys COO Stephen Jones has publicly stated the team would like to bring him back on a multi-year deal, history tells us Dallas plays it cautious when it comes to paying running backs. They’ve let productive backs walk before - just ask Rico Dowdle, who reportedly asked for $6 million annually last offseason after a 1,000-yard campaign. The team didn’t blink before moving on.
So where does that leave Williams?
The market is shaping up to be competitive. With names like Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker potentially commanding $9 million per year, Williams’ projected range of $6-7 million annually puts him in a middle tier - productive, but not necessarily irreplaceable in the eyes of most front offices.
As one insider put it, “He’s replaceable, and they prove that.” The Cowboys have cycled through productive backs before - from Tony Pollard to Dowdle - and they’ve done it without breaking the bank.
Still, Williams makes a compelling case to stay.
He brought balance to the Cowboys’ offense, something that had been sorely lacking. His presence in the backfield opened up the passing game, and the results were evident: both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. Dak Prescott looked more comfortable, more in control, and more efficient with a reliable run game behind him.
That kind of impact doesn’t go unnoticed - especially when the offense finally clicks the way it was designed to.
So now the Cowboys are at a crossroads. Do they reward Williams for a breakout season and lock him in at a reasonable rate? Or do they test the waters again, banking on their ability to find another “getable” back who can produce in Schottenheimer’s system?
It’s a conversation that will stretch into the offseason, and there’s no easy answer. But one thing is clear: Williams earned the right to be part of that discussion. Whether he’s back in Dallas or not, his 2025 campaign reminded everyone what a strong run game can do - not just for the box score, but for the entire identity of a team.