Javonte Williams was one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 NFL season. He signed a one-year, $3.5 million "prove-it" deal with the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason after failing to live up to the second-round billing that made him such an exciting prospect coming out of Denver.

Williams starred in his final junior year at North Carolina and delivered an impressive rookie season with the Broncos, rushing for 903 yards and four touchdowns on 203 attempts (4.4 yards per carry), while adding 316 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. But in 2022, his second NFL season, he tore his ACL, LCL, and PCL just four games in. He returned the following year but never quite found his rhythm over his final two seasons in Denver.

So when he signed with Dallas, nobody knew what to expect. Instead, he delivered one of the best seasons of any running back in the NFL, rushing for a career-high 1,201 yards (ninth-most in the league) and 11 touchdowns on 252 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, while adding 137 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The Cowboys rewarded him this offseason with a new three-year, $24 million deal, including $16 million guaranteed.

With Williams now entering his second season in Dallas, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams believes there's still one aspect of his game that doesn't get enough credit — even after he silenced doubters in 2025. "Obviously the guy's pretty good on direct runs and he's hard to get down behind the line of scrimmage, but I think that he is a more diverse runner than he probably gets credit for," Adams said.

"I think the guy does a really nice job with some of the outside zone stuff, particularly the weak side. He's got really quick feet. He's able to get in and out of cuts really well. And he's one of those dudes that's not scared to run through the smoke, and that's what you're going to have to do on some of the time. I think he's good at a lot of things."

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Williams' versatility as a running back is what made him such a threat in college, and it's why the Broncos took him 35th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft in the first place. A 5-foot-10, 220-pound back with a receiver's skill set, he entered the draft drawing comparisons to players like Josh Jacobs and Frank Gore.

Heading into Year 2 with the Cowboys, I wouldn't expect much to change. Dallas is running it back with the same offensive coordinator, the same quarterback, the same group of wide receivers, and the same offensive line. With an improved defense behind him, there's a legitimate chance for Williams to build on last season and put up even better numbers in 2026.

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