The NFL says it does not need running backs anymore, yet the Dallas Cowboys just handed Javonte Williams a fresh three-year contract. This move flies in the face of the modern league trend where teams avoid paying for the position. Williams is only 26 years old, but his recent stats show he is worth every penny of that new deal.
According to Blogging The Boys, Williams finished last season with 1,201 rushing yards, which placed him in the top 10 across the entire league. He also led the way with 26 runs of 10 yards or more and gained 896 yards after contact. These numbers aren’t flukes. They prove a player can still dominate the ground game even when defenses stack the box to stop them.
The Heavy Load He Carried
Most teams try to keep their backs fresh by limiting their touches, but Williams played 278 snaps on run plays last season. That was the 11th highest total among all running backs in the league. He also saw the ball 252 times on the ground, ranking 10th in the NFL for rushing attempts. This workload was the heaviest he has seen in his five-year career.
The numbers show he played over 250 snaps for the first time since entering the league. He also recorded over 250 rushing attempts for the first time in his career. Per Blogging The Boys, this heavy usage came after he suffered a torn ACL in October of 2022. He had been limited to just 54 offensive snaps in 2022 and 166 snaps in 2024 before this breakout season.
Williams acknowledged that his recovery was incomplete until his previous year playing in Dallas. Now he is starting to look like the player who started 16 games in 2021. The team is clearly betting that his best years are still ahead of him despite the injury history.
Why This Deal Changes Everything
Williams is a workhorse who can carry the offense, and that’s why the Cowboys are investing in him. He posted a 4.8 yards per carry average, which also landed him in the top 10 of the league. This efficiency proves he can move the chains without needing a perfect pass game to set him up.
The league often talks about how running backs are replaceable, but Dallas disagrees. They signed him to a one-year deal last season and now locked him up for three years. This shift suggests that teams are finally appreciating the value of a true bell-cow back again.
The 2026 running back room looks much brighter because of this signing. Williams has shown he can handle the grind and still produce top-tier numbers. If he stays healthy, the Cowboys have a core piece for their offense for years to come. The team bet on him when others would have walked away. Now they have a player who can change the momentum of a game with a single run.
