Javonte Williams may be the most under-the-radar stud running back the Cowboys have had in a long time.
Of course, when you play in the backfield for the same franchise that has featured larger-than-life ballcarriers Ezekiel Elliott, Herschel Walker, Tony Dorsett, and Emmitt Smith, it can be tough to get noticed.
But Williams has. And not just by the front office… but also by the ultimate Cowboys running back legend.
Williams certainly made a strong impression in his first season in Dallas. 2025 saw him log personal bests in both rushing attempts and rushing yards, and his 11 rushing touchdowns equaled his previous four pro seasons combined.
It was enough to warrant a three-year, $24 million contract extension- which he signed in February- that will keep him in Dallas.
“It felt good just knowing that all my hard work finally paid off and I got a little bit of security,” Williams said this week following the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp.
Williams’s new deal more than doubles his annual salary of a year ago. And yet when asked, his stated goals for 2026 are beyond modest, the very epitome of generic locker-room cliché.
“Just to build on last year,” he explained, “try to be a better version of myself than I was last year, stay healthy throughout the whole season, and just win games.”
Only now, Williams goes from an unknown and unproven commodity with Cowboys coaches to one of the roster’s genuine leaders.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he sees the 26-year-old Williams as “an absolute pounder, bruiser, a guy that’s going to score 12 touchdowns every year for us.”
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams raved just as loudly about other qualities.
“He is very mature,” Adams told Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. “He’s very smart. I’m really into guys who are great teammates, and that dude is a great teammate. … He’s certainly one of my favorites.”
From a guy who feared his career might be over to his first 1,000-yard season and a top-10 finish among all running backs leaguewide, Williams could be excused for tooting his own horn as he starts his follow-up campaign.
Yet he takes it all in quiet stride.
“I don’t think it really hit me yet, what I did or anything like that,” he said. “But I’m still grinding, still the same person I was last year. I’m just keeping my head down and keep working.”
Williams literally had his head down on Tuesday, coming off the practice field and making his way back to the locker room after a sweaty session under Texas summer sun. And that’s when Emmitt Smith stopped him. Yes, the NFL’s all-time rushing king and the man who still- more than two decades after retiring- serves as the torchbearer for not only every man who takes a handoff on Sundays but even more so for those who do so while wearing the star.
The moment made an impact on Williams.
“I watch his highlights all the time,” Williams admitted after meeting Smith. “Just being another Cowboys running back, I know he’s believing in me. He wants me to do my best, so I’m going to do it for him. … He just told to keep running the way I’m running, and everything will be all right.”
But if Williams keeps running the way he did in 2025 and can, as he himself put out there into the universe, be an even better version this year, things may be more than all right for Williams and the Cowboys.
So how about an update to those goals? Actually, when pressed, the understated Williams did allow himself to think just a bit bigger.
“I at least want to go to the Pro Bowl or something. And definitely get a Super Bowl with the team.”
Looks like that meeting with Emmitt- who went to eight of the former and three of the latter- has already rubbed off.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys RB Javonte Williams earns raves from coaches, NFL icon as he sets lofty ’26 goals
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
