Remember when everyone lambasted Jerry Jones for investing minimal resources into the Dallas Cowboys' running back room this past offseason? The club's much-maligned owner and general manager took a good deal of flak for making veteran Javonte Williams his big splash at the position.
Dallas' decision to bring in Williams to be their lead back has aged beautifully through five games of the 2025 campaign. He's been nothing short of a revelation, and his efforts have been a massive piece of the puzzle for a high-powered Cowboys offense. It's as if Jones saw something in the 2021 second-round pick that rival executives didn't.
Folks love to point out Jones' mistakes, but you can hear a pin drop when he's right about something. However, that silence and Williams' success speak louder than any good press.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones deserves credit for stealing RB Javonte Williams in free agency
Making fun of Jones is all the rage these days, and understandably so, at least to some degree. After all, he continues doubling and tripling down on trading arguably the league's best defender, superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, not too long ago. Nevertheless, seeing Williams flourish proves that there's a method to the madness in Dallas.
Kids often fall silent when they know they did something wrong. The media tends to do the same, brushing off a wrong take rather than falling on their sword. We're watching this unfold in real-time with the glaring lack of positive coverage surrounding Williams' hot start in Dallas.
Let's take a look at how Williams ranks in some key rushing metrics five contests into his Cowboys tenure, courtesy of NFL Research's Tony Holzman-Escareno:
Javonte Williams this season
— Tony Holzman-Escareno (@FrontOfficeNFL) October 6, 2025
- 447 rush yds (3rd in NFL)
- 5 rush TD (T-2nd in NFL)
- 25 rush 1st downs (most in NFL)
- 357 rush yds after contact (2nd in NFL)*
- 133 rush yds over expected (most in NFL)*
*Per @NextGenStats | #DallasCowboys
Williams is third in the league in rushing yards (447), tied for second in touchdowns (five) and No. 1 in first downs (25). Moreover, he trails only Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor in yards after contact (357) and is first in rush yards over expectation (133).
In other words, Williams isn't only getting what's blocked for him behind a strong run-blocking offensive line and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. He's also doing an excellent job of creating additional yardage on his own. His playmaking has helped Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott operate at an MVP level this year.
This isn't the first time we've seen Jones ignoring the public outcries to add a marquee tailback pay dividend. He let Tony Pollard walk following the 2023 season, paving the way for undrafted career change-of-pace runner Rico Dowdle to lead Dallas' backfield.
Dowdle looked the part of a workhorse as a starter in Dallas, handling 274 touches and yielding 1,328 scrimmage yards in 2024. Notably, he ran wild for the Carolina Panthers in their Week 5 win over the Miami Dolphins, posting 234 all-purpose yards and a score.
Does Jones know how to pick 'em, or what?