Last year’s Cowboys rushing attack barely qualified as one. By midseason, it looked more like desperation than design. The decision to bring back Ezekiel Elliott, pairing him with Rico Dowdle in a rotational scheme, quickly flopped. Nothing clicked. The run game gave Dallas zero identity. It took until a heated Week 9 locker room argument for the staff to hand the reins to Dowdle finally, and only then did things start to shift. He rattled off 833 of his 1,079 yards after becoming the starter. Still, it was too little, too late.
Now? Dowdle’s in Carolina. Zeke’s off the roster. The Cowboys are starting from scratch, again. But the picture this time is a lot more layered. They signed two hard runners in free agency: Javonte Williams, a once-budding star recovering from a brutal knee injury, and Miles Sanders. They also doubled down in the draft, selecting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.
But even with four very different backs, one question still hangs in the balance: Who gets the nod as RB1? Another committee? Something in between? “The strange thing about the running back position is you really don’t find out about them until you get out to [training camp],” new HC Brian Schottenheimer said in the first week of May. The Cowboys will begin their mandatory OTAs from June 10.
Meanwhile, we might have some clear winners in this horse race. As of this week, Javonte Williams is clearing his competition for that vacant RB1 spot. While Schottenheimer hasn’t confirmed it publicly, team insiders say Williams has distanced himself from the pack as mandatory minicamp nears. His recovery from ACL and LCL tears has gone better than expected. According to sources at The Athletic, Williams is showing “burst, vision, and power”—three traits this backfield has sorely lacked.
NFL RUMORS: #Cowboys RB Javonte Williams is expected to be the running back ONE heading into training camp. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/reI6RgTO6d
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) May 26, 2025
For the Cowboys, this is more than just about who’s first on the depth chart. It’s about identity. Williams, if healthy, gives Dallas something it hasn’t had since early Zeke: a punishing, downhill runner who forces defenses to shrink their safeties and respect the box.
During his 4 seasons with the Broncos, Williams ran for 2,394 yards and 10 TDs. Although last season in Denver, he struggled with rhythm and confidence coming off the injury. But in Dallas, surrounded by a top-five offensive line and a pass-heavy system that can give him space? He won’t need 25 carries to make an impact; just a few clean looks to flip the field.
If things break right, this move could realign the entire Dallas offense. With CeeDee Lamb stretching the field and Dak Prescott hunting mismatches, Williams becomes the balance point. The stabilizer. And if he’s even 90% of the back he was before the injury? Dallas may have quietly landed one of the biggest steals of the offseason, and boy, he is excited to be part of Brian Schottenheimer’s cultural rebuild.
Javonte Williams is ready to take the challenge
Three years ago, Javonte Williams was laid out with one of those injuries that makes even diehard fans wince—ACL, LCL, and a torn-up corner of his knee. But, now, rather than letting it haunt him, he’s now in Dallas, smiling like it never happened. “I feel completely like myself,” he said. He’s not talking around it. The knee’s fine. The healing’s done. Now he just wants to run. Simple as that.
He logged over 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns in Denver post-surgery, but you could tell he was still finding his gear. You know that half-second delay some backs have when their body doesn’t fully trust itself yet? That’s gone now. Williams is getting first-team reps early in OTAs, and while no one’s slapping the RB1 label on him just yet, the Cowboys aren’t hiding the fact that they brought him in to do more than just compete.
Still, he’s not campaigning. “I just come in here and work every day, and everything else is going to take care of itself.” You’d expect nothing less from a guy who runs like every carry’s a challenge to personal space. His plan’s just like any other RB’s, to ‘Run the ball. A lot. “From what I’ve seen,” Williams said, “they’re trying to run the ball a lot.” There’s a method to this madness.
Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys are dialing up a more physical and cultural identity. Javonte Williams fits that bill seamlessly. Think less finesse, more trench warfare. Something that’s approved in the Big D. And Williams didn’t roll his eyes; he actually bought it. Says the energy is real. “Sometimes there can be fake energy and you can kind of feel it… but I feel like it’s authentic here.” That matters.
For a guy trying to reestablish himself in a new city, surrounded by new faces, that trust goes a long way. Next stop: proving he’s the guy. The one who can steady the backfield and make play action worth the threat again.
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