Javonte Williams is not Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs. Let me reiterate: Javonte Williams is not either of Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs. Got it? Got it.
It is true that the Dallas Cowboys do not employ one of the very best running backs in the NFL, but they certainly employ one of legitimate and capable talent. Last season showed that.
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Williams finished last season with over 1,200 rushing yards (1,201 specifically so just barely, still counts) and found the endzone 11 times. He was a key part of what made the Cowboys’ offense such a threat and particularly what made it such a dynamic one.
This week made the Cowboys front office look brilliant
If you haven’t been following news across the NFL this week then you may have missed the way that the running back market ballooned. Bijan Robinson got the party started with a record-breaking extension. His deal with the Atlanta Falcons was a three-year extension worth up to $75M which made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Then came Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts. Indy extended their star to the tune of a two-year, $44M deal. On Friday the Detroit Lions joined the fold as they extended Jahmyr Gibbs to a three-year deal worth up to $75.75M ($51.5M guaranteed) so Robinson’s spot at the top of the market ended rather quickly.
Javonte Williams #33 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball during training camp | Getty Images
All three of these running backs finished ahead of Williams last season, but only five others did as well. Williams was a top-10 back last year by rushing yards, and while not the only way of measuring a running back’s worth, the Cowboys have him for pennies on the proverbial dollar.
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Dallas actually struck a deal with Williams all the way back in February. It was a three-year, $24M that helped keep him in tow, stopped him from hitting free agency outright, and most importantly got done before the deals listed above and others that came this offseason like Breece Hall and De’Von Achane.
Simply put, the Cowboys have a good thing going right now with Javonte Williams and they clearly knew it. We talk all the time about how getting ahead of things generally makes you look smart from a financial perspective, and that this deal is so far in the rearview mirror certainly corroborates that. Even if you would prefer any of the other backs listed in this overall discussion, would you really prefer them for their price tags? Relative to the context of the Cowboys’ current roster?
We haven’t had a chance to say this a lot in recent seasons, but good for the Cowboys in taking care of business (literally) when and how they did here. More of it! Please.
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