Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams participates in a minicamp practice at The Star on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Frisco.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — Cowboys running back Javonte Williams is an avid watcher of Emmitt Smith highlights. He says he’ll watch clips all the time from Smith’s Hall of Fame career. Recently, after a minicamp practice, Williams had the chance to meet Smith in person for the first time.
It turns out Smith was not only an avid watcher of Williams’ performance last season, but he was also a fan of Williams’ work.
“He just told me to keep running the way I was running,” Williams recalled, “and everything will be alright.”
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Williams intends to listen to that advice. For good reason.
Last year was a breakout performance in his first season with the Cowboys. The former Broncos running back ran for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He also averaged 3.56 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus, which was good for fourth in the NFL.
The Cowboys viewed Williams as a low-risk, high-reward option when they signed him last off-season to a one-year, $3 million deal. They then rewarded him prior to free agency this season with a three-year, $24 million extension.
“It felt good,” Williams said, “just knowing all my hard work paid off and I got a little bit of security. But I’ve still got a lot more to prove. I at least want to go to the Pro Bowl and definitely want to get to a Super Bowl with the team. Just working hard, grinding, and trying to be a better version of myself. That’s all I’m worried about.”
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There’s a difference between trying to be better and changing. The latter is something Williams doesn’t plan to do, especially when it comes to his health.
A healthy season eluded Williams for years. The former second round pick out of North Carolina impressed as a rookie with the Broncos in 2021 as he shared the backfield with veteran Melvin Gordon. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry as a rookie. He also provided optimism for what he could do as a leading running back in Denver. He then tore multiple ligaments in his right knee four games into his second season with the Broncos.
Williams didn’t return to his rookie season form in Denver. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry in 2023 and 3.7 yards per carry in 2024 in a reduced role. The Broncos let him hit free agency.
The Cowboys targeted Williams because they believed he could do well in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense if he could stay healthy. They were right. He played in 16 games last season, sparking Schottenheimer to declare at one point that he was the president of the Javonte Williams fan club.
Williams’ sustained health last season wasn’t by accident. He developed a new routine last year. It included time in cold tubs, hot tubs, massages, and even acupuncture at the recommendation of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He said he doesn’t plan to change that this coming season.
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“Same stuff,” Williams said. “I feel like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) is congratulated on his first quarter touchdown run by quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (88) against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, December 14, 2025.
Tom Fox/Staff Photographer
The same could be said for how the Cowboys utilize Williams this year. Outside of re-signing Williams, the Cowboys didn’t make any significant additions in their backfield. That’s partly because they believe Williams could replicate his success as the team’s feature back.
The Cowboys do hope, however, that Williams could have some help. Malik Davis played well last season as a backup to Williams. That included Davis’ first 100-yard performance of his career. The Cowboys also hope that Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, two rookies a year ago, could take the next step.
“There’s nothing that would make me and the offensive staff more ecstatic than for Jaydon to take the step we hope he takes, because of the one-two punch that he and Javonte could potentially have,” Schottenheimer said of Blue. “Jaydon’s ability to hurt you catching the ball out of the backfield, that’s a dimension that we — not didn’t have — didn’t do as much because we chose to throw the ball to CeeDee [Lamb], George [Pickens] and [Jake Ferguson] and guys like that.”
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The Cowboys even held Williams out of team drills during minicamp so they could get an extended look at what Mafah and Blue could do with the first-team offense. That type of extended viewing — and subsequent rest for Williams — could also be a common sight in training camp and the preseason.
The Cowboys already know what they have in Williams. They just want him to replicate the success he had a year ago. As Smith said, they want Williams to keep running the way he was running.
“I know he believes me and wants me to do my best,” Williams said of Smith. “So I’m going to do it for him.”