Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Compiles 50 total yards in win
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Williams rushed 12 times for 30 yards and brought in three of four targets for 20 yards in the Cowboys' 37-20 win over the Commanders on Sunday.
The Commanders' front more than held its own against the Cowboys' offensive line, leading Williams to scratch and claw for yardage while Dak Prescott carved up Washington's defense through the air. Williams still played a clear lead role despite the modest amount of rush attempts, and he was once again an important complementary option in the passing game. Williams has another tough assignment on tap in Week 3, as the Cowboys welcome in the Ravens next Sunday.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Scores twice in Week 1 loss
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Williams rushed 12 times for 41 yards and a touchdown while catching all five of his targets for 31 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-20 loss to the Giants.
Williams scored a one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and added a 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. He was called for a 15-yard taunting penalty on his touchdown catch, and Brandon Aubrey missed the ensuing PAT to keep Dallas' deficit at eight points with 5:21 remaining, though that miss proved moot after the Giants proceeded to eat up the remainder of the game clock on the ensuing possession. No Cowboys teammate had more than two carries in Sunday's loss, so Williams is locked in as the primary option in Dallas' backfield heading into a Week 2 home game against the Commanders.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Locked atop depth chart after cuts
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Williams appears to be locked in atop the backfield depth chart after the Cowboys waived several running backs over the weekend, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Dallas cut all three of Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda as the roster was trimmed to 53 players over the weekend. Additionally, Williams didn't see any preseason action, suggesting the Cowboys are more than comfortable with his standing as the team's clear RB1. With Blue, Mafah and Abanikanda off the roster, the Cowboys are set to head into the regular season with Malik Davis and waiver pickup Emari Demercado as Williams' backups. Williams isn't a sexy pick in the third round of fantasy drafts, but he should be able to return that price with ease if he's seeing 18-22 opportunities per game like he did last season.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Expects offense to take step up
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Williams feels like the Cowboys' offense has hit the ground running ahead of the regular season, Tommy Yarrish of the team's official website reports.
Williams is coming off a career year in 2025, notching 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 252 carries -- all career highs -- over 16 regular-season contests in his first season with Dallas. As a result of that production, the running back was rewarded with a fresh three-year, $24 million contract in February. The Cowboys ranked second in the NFL in total offense last season, averaging 391.9 yards per game, and Williams feels like the offense is picking up where it left off. "I feel like we hit the ground running. We didn't really start from the ground up, we just kind of built on what we could've done better last year. I feel like we're executing and communicating well," said Williams. If Dallas does find a way to be even better on offense in 2026, Williams would likely be a major part of it as the team's undisputed No. 1 option in the backfield.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Tight grip on RB1 role in Dallas
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Williams remains the Cowboys' lead back entering the 2026 season, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Williams is set to lead a backfield that also includes Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Israel Abanikanda and Dominic Richardson heading into training camp. Blue, a 2025 fifth-round pick, could be ready for a larger role in his second season, especially in passing situations, but Williams remains the clear No. 1 option for the Cowboys at running back after rushing for a career-high 1,201 yards across 16 games in 2025, Williams' age-25 campaign.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Backfield untouched by NFL Draft
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The Cowboys did not add to the running back position in the 2026 NFL Draft, leaving Williams (shoulder) positioned to reprise a bell-cow role, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Williams re-signed with Dallas via a three-year, $24 million deal in February after putting together a breakout campaign with the team in 2025, totaling 252 carries for 1,201 yards (4.8 YPC) and 11 touchdowns across 16 regular-season appearances. He also secured 35 of 51 targets for 137 yards and two scores. Given that the No. 2 role behind Williams appears open to a competition between Malik Davis (eye), Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda, the Cowboys appeared to be a candidate to add playmaking upside to the backfield via the NFL Draft, particularly in the form of a pass-catching complement. Instead, fourth-round offensive lineman Drew Shelton represents the team's main addition on offense, and Williams retains a clear path to a workhorse role. Williams missed Week 18 due to a shoulder issue but is presumably ready for spring activities.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Placed on injured reserve
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The Cowboys placed Williams (shoulder) on injured reserve Saturday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Williams was already ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants due to a lingering shoulder injury, but his placement on injured reserve opens up a spot on Dallas' 53-man roster for the activation of Phil Mafah (shoulder) from IR. With Williams and Malik Davis (eye/calf) both out, Mafah and rookie Jaydon Blue are set to lead the Cowboys' backfield for Week 18. Williams enjoyed a career year in Dallas and will end the 2025 season with 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding 35 catches (on 51 targets) for 137 yards and two scores across 16 games. Williams signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Cowboys in March and will enter the 2026 offseason as a free agent.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Won't play Week 18
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Williams (shoulder/neck) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at the Giants, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
With fellow running back Malik Davis (eye) also ruled out, Dallas likely will turn to rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah (shoulder). Mafah is listed as questionable after upgrading to full practice participation Friday, seemingly on track to be activated from injured reserve by Saturday afternoon. There hasn't been any indication that Williams' neck/shoulder injury is a long-term concern, but there's no reason to risk it on the eve of free agency. The Cowboys have publicly expressed interest in re-signing Williams after his breakout campaign on a one-year contract.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: No practice Thursday
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Williams (shoulder/neck) didn't practice Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Williams hasn't practiced this week due to the shoulder/neck injury that he's been dealing with since a Week 15 matchup with the Vikings. He's still racked up 39 touches for 188 yards and two rushing TDs during that span, while No. 2 RB Malik Davis has turned his 38 touches into 163 total yards and one TD on the ground. Davis (eye/calf) also hasn't practiced this week, so rookie Jaydon Blue is the only healthy player at the position on the active roster.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Exits with shoulder injury
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Williams suffered a shoulder injury during Thursday's game in Washington, Joe Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reports.
After his four-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, Williams didn't receive another touch before the Cowboys deemed him questionable to return. If he's unable to get back into the contest, he'll end Week 17 action with 13 carries for 54 yards and the aforementioned score and no catches (on two targets). Malik Davis should garner most of the RBs reps for as long as Williams is sidelined, but FB Hunter Luepke also is on hand for snaps.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Clear for Thursday
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Williams (neck) doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game at Washington, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Williams played through a neck injury this past Sunday against the Chargers but still logged a 57 percent snap share en route to 11 touches for 43 yards from scrimmage. He followed up a limited walkthrough Monday with a capped practice Tuesday before handling a full walkthrough Wednesday, clearing him for Week 17 action. Despite being available to the Cowboys offense Thursday, Williams may yield some reps to backup Malik Davis, who has earned eight carries in both of the last two contests.
Williams (neck) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Williams is nursing the neck issue coming out of this past Sunday's loss to the Chargers, and though he has yet to turn in a full practice this week, the Cowboys haven't provided an indication that the running back is at risk of missing Thursday's game in Washington. That being said, with the 6-8-1 Cowboys having been eliminated from playoff contention, Williams may not be asked to shoulder the heavy workloads he's managed for most of the first 16 weeks of the season over the next two games. Dallas had already peeled back Williams' playing time and usage in Week 16, as he played 57 percent of snaps and handled a season-low 11 touches while backup Malik Davis saw added work.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Cleared to play Sunday
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Williams (neck) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Williams missed part of last week's loss to the Vikings after injuring his shoulder/neck, but he returned for the second half and took most of the carries, albeit with Malik Davis handling the bulk of the snaps on pass plays. Williams' return to full practice participation Friday suggests he won't have limitations this Sunday, though the Cowboys might eventually scale his workload back a bit if/when they're eliminated from playoff contention.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Strong showing after injury scare
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Williams rushed the ball 15 times for 91 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Vikings.
Williams picked up 13 yards and a touchdown on the Cowboys' first offensive possession, but he then sat out the rest of the first half with a shoulder injury. While he rotated with Malik Davis more than usual in the second half, Williams managed to run and put together a good showing with chunk gains of 21, 15 and 11 yards in the final two quarters. After averaging only 3.4 yards per carry combined across the last two games, this was a solid bounceback effort for Williams, particularly considering he almost certainly wasn't playing at 100 percent.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Returns to SNF after halftime
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Williams (shoulder) has returned to Sunday's game against the Vikings, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Williams is back in the game after halftime. He didn't play in the second quarter after being deemed questionable to return due to a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Malik Davis and Hunter Luepke were Dallas' backfield options during Williams' absence, but Luepke won't return due to a concussion.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Hurts shoulder after early TD
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Williams (shoulder) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Vikings, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Williams remained on the sideline without his helmet after being examined by trainers, per Archer. Prior to getting injured in the first quarter, Williams rushed six times for 13 yards and a touchdown. Malik Davis is set to lead Dallas' backfield while Williams is unavailable.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Gets into end zone in loss
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Williams rushed 17 times for 67 yards and a touchdown while bringing in two of four targets for no gain in the Cowboys' 44-30 loss to the Lions on Thursday night.
Williams put together a workmanlike effort that included his ninth rushing touchdown of the campaign on a one-yard run early in the third quarter. The veteran back eclipsed the 60-yard mark on the ground for the fourth time in the last five games, although he averaged under 4.0 yards per carry for the second straight contest. Williams also crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season with Thursday's production, and he'll look to exploit a vulnerable Vikings run defense in a Week 15 Sunday night home matchup on Dec. 14.
Williams rushed the ball 20 times for 87 yards in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Eagles. He added two receptions on three targets for 14 yards.
Williams turned in another solid day as a runner, reaching at least 80 yards on the ground for the third consecutive game. His longest gain went for 20 yards, the first time he's hit that threshold since Week 7. Williams also got a bit more involved as a pass catcher, logging his first multi-reception performance in his last six matchups. While he was unable to find the end zone, he did reach 100 yards from scrimmage for the fifth time this season.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Efficient showing in win
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Williams rushed the ball 22 times for 93 yards in Monday's 33-16 win over the Raiders. He added one reception (on one target) for zero yards.
Williams topped 20 rushing attempts for the first time this season and turned in an efficient effort. Seven of his 22 carries went for a gain of at least six yards, and he reached 80 rushing yards for the sixth time on the campaign. While it was a solid showing on the field, Williams' fantasy performance was something of a letdown, as he failed to find the end zone and remained uninvolved as a pass catcher. After tallying multiple catches in five of Dallas' first six contests, he has only one reception in four straight contests.
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Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Scores twice in Week 8 loss
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Williams rushed 13 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 44-24 loss to the Broncos. He also caught one of two targets for eight yards.
Williams scored a pair of one-yard rushing touchdowns to bring his season total to eight rushing scores, but Dallas otherwise failed to find the end zone against the stout Denver defense until after waving the white flag and inserting backup quarterback Joe Milton. Williams, the former Broncos running back, continues to dominate touches in Dallas' backfield, especially once top backup Miles Sanders (knee) was ruled out for the season. Williams and the Cowboys host the Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 9.
