The Dallas Cowboys will have to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players in just over two weeks. Unfortunately, the first preseason game did not offer much clarity in that regard, largely because Brian Schottenheimer rested every starter and several second-stringers.
That figures to change this Saturday against the Ravens, but the Cowboys might not need another exhibition to figure out who will be their starting running back. Based on the latest buzz from training camp, and a telling quote from Stephen Jones, it sounds like Javonte Williams will open the year as RB1.
"Certainly Javonte is gonna be a really, really good running back for us this year. [We] look forward as we head toward to the preseason and ultimately the season and seeing what he can do for us," Jones said in a sit-down interview with Nick Eatman of Dallascowboys.com.
Javonte Williams being the Cowboys RB1 would be the right decision
Two "really's" from Jones kind of says it all.
It looked for a brief moment in time that Miles Sanders jumped ahead of Williams. However, he's missed the last several practices, including Saturday's loss to the Rams, with a knee injury. That has opened the door for Williams to take hold of the starting job and he's done just that.
Even before Sanders' injury, Williams was seeing the most reps with the starters. There is still time for Sanders to make up the ground he's lost, but it's unclear when he'll return to practice.
RELATED: It took one preseason game for Cowboys veteran to play his way off the roster
Brian Schottenheimer told reporters on Monday that Sanders and Jaydon Blue (ankle/heel) should see "significant progress" this week and that both backs have a chance to play Saturday against the Ravens. That's encouraging, but Schotty didn't provide a concrete timeline.
Williams hasn't been ruled RB1 yet, but Cowboys fans got a telling hint this past weekend when Williams didn't dress for the game against the Rams. While the team likely wanted to see more of Phil Mafah and Deuce Vaughn, it was a bit surprising Williams received starter treatment amid a tense competition.
Even Malik Davis, who only signed last Friday before a Saturday kickoff, turned six fourth quarter carries into a team-high 63 rushing yards.
All of this would seem to suggest that Williams sits atop the depth chart. Schottenheimer said he plans to get more players work in Week 2 of preseason. It'll be interesting to see how many starters, if any, are featured and if Williams is included.