All through the 2025 NFL season, SB Nation’s Doug Farrar will write in regards to the recreation’s Secret Superstars — these gamers whose performances would possibly slip beneath the radar for no matter causes. On this installment, it’s time to offer some like to Dallas Cowboys working again Javonte Williams, who appears to have come all the best way again from a horrible knee harm that regarded to scuttle his profession a number of years in the past.
Within the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys had simply six dashing touchdowns, the NFL’s worst complete. To place that in perspective, the Philadelphia Eagles had SEVEN dashing touchdowns of their 55-23 pantsing of the Washington Commanders within the NFC Championship Sport, and the Buffalo Payments led the league with 32 dashing scores. The Cowboys ranked twenty ninth in Speeding EPA at -60.0, forward of solely the Miami Dolphins, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Tennessee Titans (who most likely ought to have saved that Derrick Henry man). Dallas had simply 42 runs of 10 or extra yards; the Baltimore Ravens with the aforementioned Derrick Henry led the league with 104.
To anticipate a practical offense with what the Cowboys put collectively within the run recreation was a idiot’s errand. With Rico Dowdle and the final remnants of Zeke Elliott as the first backs, Dallas simply didn’t have the blokes to get it performed. And because the 2025 Cowboys have been assessing different monetary choices for higher or worse, they weren’t going to tug a Howie Roseman/Saquon Barkley lever and signal a veteran working again to a big contract and hope that again may outline their offense. As a substitute, they signed former Denver Broncos second-round decide Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3 million contract with $2 million assured.
One of the best again within the 2021 draft class (in my humble opinion), Williams got here out of North Carolina as a velocity again with damaging energy — he compelled 71 missed tackles in simply 157 carries in 2020, and he additionally amassed 27 carries of 15 or extra yards. Williams’ rookie season with the Broncos appeared to have him on the trail — he gained 903 yards and scored 4 touchdowns on 203 carries, with 63 compelled missed tackles, and 9 runs of 15 or extra yards.
Then, the whole lot sadly modified. In Week 4 of the 2022 season, Williams suffered a brutal knee harm through which he had injury to his ACL. LCL, and posterolateral nook. That season was clearly over for him, he was not the identical again in 2023, and even in 2024 for the Broncos, he grew to become extra of a receiving again. It appeared that Javonte Williams had develop into one more promising participant whose potential was scuttled by horrible harm luck, and we’d by no means see what he may have develop into.
{That a} again of Williams’ earlier caliber was obtainable on a budget like that instructed the story, however Williams was about to craft one other story. By two video games with the Cowboys, he’s gained 151 yards and scored three dashing touchdowns on 33 carries, and whereas he’s performed extra than simply set up himself as a fantastic red-zone again for a crew in determined want of that, this one ability definitely helps.
Towards the New York Giants on Sunday in a 40-37 win through which there have been seven scoring performs within the fourth quarter alone for each groups, Williams gained 97 yards and scored a landing on his 18 carries. He compelled six missed tackles, and had three runs of 10 or extra yards. The passing recreation was clearly the primary factor on this recreation — Dak Prescott threw the ball 52 occasions, finishing 38 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer score of 96.7 — however when Dallas wanted explosive performs within the run recreation, they have been there for as soon as.
“God, you understand, I inform you what, man, I noticed he bought 97 yards,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated of Williams after the win. “I want he would have gotten three extra. I’ve been the excessive man on Javonte the entire time. And the best way he performs this recreation, man, I’m simply telling you. When you discover a working again within the Nationwide Soccer League that performs more durable than this man, extra bodily than this man, I’d like to see it. And I’m certain there are some which might be on that very same stage.
“However I don’t assume there’s anyone that performs the sport extra bodily. And I couldn’t be extra completely satisfied for that younger man with what he’s needed to undergo, the place he’s been. And it was so cool to see him break by.
“However he’s simply getting began. I can promise you that.”
Effectively, when the Cowboys play the Chicago Bears subsequent Sunday, perhaps Schottenheimer can engineer a number of extra carries to get Williams that 100-yard recreation — which might be his first since he had two in his rookie season (together with a 17-carry, 111-yard recreation in opposition to the Cowboys). It’s about the one factor Javonte Williams hasn’t performed to this point for his new crew.
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