Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys could not get the job done last night against the Detroit Lions in a game that they needed to win to boost their playoff chances.
Although that didn’t happen, Javonte Williams was able to do something for the first time in his career by rushing for over 1,000 yards. He has never done that in his time in the NFL. His best was in 2021 during his rookie season, when he rushed for 903 yards.
Now, depending on how the rest of the year goes, Williams could be a hot name when free agency rolls around.
After letting Rico Dowdle walk as a free agent a year ago, the Cowboys took a chance on Williams, signing him to a one-year deal worth $3 million dollars.
Now, after 14 weeks of the season, he eclipsed the 1k yard mark in the loss to the Lions yesterday.
He has a total of 215 carries for 1,022 yards and 9 touchdowns, and with four weeks to go, if Williams reaches 12 total touchdowns and 1,250 scrimmage yards, he will receive $500,000 in bonus money.
Javonte Williams has now rushed for 1,000 yards for the first time in his young NFL career. #Cowboys
I BELIEVE IN JAVONTE 👏🏾👏🏾
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) December 5, 2025
It is clear that this team missed out on the draft pick of Jaydon Blue, so if Dallas cannot get Williams to resign, what will be their plan? Roll with Malik Davis, who is a good backup, not a starter. Sure, he had a great run against the Chiefs, but he is not an every down running back.
The last thing I want them to do is waste another draft pick on a running back when they can make something else work.
If Jerry and the guys can’t get him back in Dallas, my guess is they will wait for some other promising running back who has struggled the last few years looking to rebound like Williams, and it will probably bite them in the behind. They got very lucky with this deal.
If Williams and Pickens both come back in 2026, regardless of how this year ends, and they can fix up the defense somehow, I think they will be just fine. The offense is not the issue, it is a defense run by Matt Eberflus that just gave up 44 points in the most important game of the season.
It was a three-point game with nine minutes left, and the Lions scored a touchdown in five plays.
Congrats to Williams on a career year. I would love for Dallas to find a way to bring him back in 2026. He has definitely beat any expectations set for him before the season started.
