It’s time to face reality, Dallas Cowboys fans: Jerry Jones just does not value running backs. Instead of pursuing a big name on the free agent market last season, like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, or Josh Jacobs, he instead brought Ezekiel Elliot back and then signed Dalvin Cook.
Henry, Barkley, and Jacobs all made the Pro Bowl with their new teams, and Barkley had a 2,000-yard season.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys struggled running the ball for a large portion of the season. Eventually, Rico Dowdle took over the bulk of the carries and became the first undrafted free agent in franchise history to run for 1,000 yards.
Despite his success, though, it does not appear that he will be returning to Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys Signed Javonte Williams to a One-Year Contract
On Monday, it was reported that, instead of retaining Dowdle, the Cowboys have signed former Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the deal is for one year and $3 million.
Williams has seen some success in the NFL. As a rookie in 2021, he had 903 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go with 316 receiving yards and three more scores.
In 2023, Williams had 774 rushing yards and three touchdowns in addition to 228 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
But in 2022, he tore his ACL and was limited to four games. Since then, he has not been able to show the burst that he once did.
Last season, he led the Broncos in rushing yards with 514.
While the Cowboys will have a new offense with a new head coach, Williams is not exactly the kind of running back that instills hope that Dallas will have an improved ground game.
Per CBS Sports, “Williams’ 4.4 yards per touch across the last four seasons is the third-fewest in the NFL (minimum 750 touches) and ahead of only Ezekiel Elliott’s 4.1 and Najee Harris’ 4.3 in that span.”
By comparison, Dowdle has averaged 4.8 yards per touch in his career. Of course, the Cowboys could always bring him back, too; but that does not seem likely at this point.
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