{"id":486049,"date":"2026-02-17T16:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/486049\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:07:10","slug":"cowboys-remain-best-fit-for-breakout-star-ahead-of-nfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/486049\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Remain Best Fit for Breakout Star Ahead of NFL Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

After letting Rico Dowdle walk in free agency<\/a> following a 1,000-yard campaign, the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> turned to free agent running back Javonte Williams.<\/p>\n

Originally selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft<\/a>, Williams began his career with the Denver Broncos. Injuries slowed him down following a strong rookie campaign, but Williams had under four yards per attempt over his last two seasons.<\/p>\n

Despite his struggles in Denver, the Cowboys believed he was a perfect fit in Brian Schottenheimer\u2019s scheme and their gamble paid off. Williams ran for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns with an average of 4.8 yards per attempt.<\/p>\n

MORE: Cowboys 3x Pro Bowl DT Named Among Top Cap Casualty Candidates<\/a><\/p>\n

That performance set Williams up for 2026 free agency, and he could potentially make more money outside of Dallas. That said, ESPN\u2019s Matt Bowen believes the Cowboys are his best fit and says a return makes sense.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams runs with the ball for a touchdown against the New York Giants. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u201dWilliams returning to Dallas makes sense after he rushed for a career-high 1,201 yards in coach Brian Schottenheimer’s offense,\u201d Bowen wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith his explosive movement ability and north\/south power, Williams can keep his role as the Cowboys’ lead back and contribute as a pass catcher for quarterback Dak Prescott.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowboys won\u2019t get into a bidding war for Javonte Williams\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams runs onto the field for warmups before the game against the Washington Commanders. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Dallas has made it clear that they value Williams and want him back on a multi-year deal. That doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to overpay.<\/p>\n

Williams was the third different back in as many years to top 1,000 yards for the Cowboys, with Tony Pollard doing so in 2023, followed by Dowdle in 2024.<\/p>\n

MORE: Dallas Cowboys Begin Pivotal Phase in Keeping Star Wide Receiver<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas didn\u2019t re-sign either player, believing they could find better value elsewhere. That was the case when they turned to Williams, but the offense was just as effective on the ground when he wasn\u2019t running the ball.<\/p>\n

Malik Davis, who wasn\u2019t even on the team when the season began and hadn\u2019t had a rushing attempt since 2022, averaged 4.8 yards per carry, running for 250 yards on 52 attempts. Even Miles Sanders looked strong before a knee injury took him out. Sanders gained 117 yards on 20 attempts, which is an average of 5.9 per carry.<\/p>\n

Those stats will give the front office the confidence to say no if Williams\u2019 price tag gets too high.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams celebrates with QB Dak Prescott after a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter\u00a0<\/a>for more free coverage from\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n

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Meet McKenna Gehrke: Viral Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After letting Rico Dowdle walk in free agency following a 1,000-yard campaign, the Dallas Cowboys turned to free…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486050,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-486049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}