For the relatively meager amount the Dallas Cowboys signed Denver Broncos running back and leading rusher Javonte Williams for in free agency, you might think it’s the type of deal that would mostly go under the radar.
Unfortunately for Williams, this is the Cowboys, and even his 1-year, $3 million contract gets put under the microscope.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay put Williams among the NFL’s worst free agent contracts from the 2025 cycle, calling the struggling NFC East franchise out for the major downgrade from running back Rico Dowdle, who went to the Carolina Panthers on a 1-year, $6.25 million contract.
“As if losing Rico Dowdle wasn’t a big enough blow to the Dallas Cowboys’ backfield, their decision to sign Javonte Williams as a replacement only salts the wound,” Kay wrote. “While Williams is two years younger than Dowdle and set to earn a similar base salary in 2025, the former Denver Broncos back was far less productive last season. He struggled to move the ball on the ground, tallying a pedestrian 513 yards and four touchdowns on 139 totes — a meager 3.7 YPC average.”
While the market for running backs was thought to be up in 2025 following the success of Super Bowl champion and NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, Williams fell considerably short of what he was projected to make.
Before free agency, Spotrac had Williams’ market value projected at a 3-year, $20.5 million contract — approximately $6.9 million per season.
Teams Warned Against Signing Williams
While Williams led the Broncos in rushing for the second consecutive season with 513 rushing yards, he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and it was actually a big step back from 2023, when he led the team with 774 rushing yards but still averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
It’s the main reason Kay urged teams to stay away from Williams following the Broncos’ season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round.
“… Teams should be wary of valuing Williams as a high-level starter,” Kay wrote. “While he flashed promise as a rookie in 2021, he suffered a torn ACL the following season and hasn’t been a consistent ball-carrier since. Williams averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in 2023 and 3.7 yards per carry in 2024. His lack of rushing production can’t be blamed on his supporting cast either, as fellow running back Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estimé both topped 4.0 yards per carry this season.”
Broncos Don’t Have Good Answer at RB — Yet
The Broncos enter the 2025 season on the kind of streak at running back NFL teams want to avoid like the plague — they haven’t had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season since Phillip Lindsay in 2019.
In order to take the top off the offense and tap into star quarterback Bo Nix’s full potential, the Broncos need a massive upgrade at running back. The clearest path to that would come by taking a running back with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
The Broncos haven’t taken a running back in the first round since taking Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
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