Williams had a career year last season, but can he take his game to even greater heights in 2026?
There is no other way to put it: Javonte Williams' first season as a Dallas Cowboy was an overwhelming success.
Coming to Dallas after being pushed out in Denver, Williams posted a career-high 1,201 rushing yards and a career-high 11 TDs, to be the bell cow for Brian Schottenheimer.
Javonte was also the driving force behind Dallas finally having a top-10 run game, but one big knock was that the Cowboys didn't have an ample backup for him.
This offseason, Jaydon Blue and others were tried but failed, and the trusty Malik Davis won the RB2 role as Williams' change-up.
But now, coming into his second season in Dallas, with the same offense, same coach, and same teammates, there is every reason to think that Javonte's 2026 season could be rather fruitful.
And Schottenheimer thinks so too.
"I think at the end of the day I think Javonte's still got room to improve," Schottenheimer said. "He's still a young player, the intentionality that he practices with, the run instincts, the run skill, I think Year 2 in this system of what we're trying to do in the running game, I think he's going to be really really good with.
"He's our bellcow, we feed him, and he's so violent with the way he runs and plays that we have to take care of him during the week."
Perhaps the biggest thing is finding out who can give Williams a spell in games, and at least for Week 1, that'll be Davis.
Yes, Williams will get his lick of the ice cream, likely 15+ carries, but Davis will need to pinch-hit as well, something he did last season and was very productive.
There is no denying that Williams surprised a lot of people last season, and even some inside the building, but now, we know what to expect, and if he can have a similar year to last season, this Cowboys offense will be tough to stop.
With more continuity, along with a fresher Williams in 2026, the run game, which was nothing for a couple of seasons, has found life.
Is a second-year leap coming for Javonte?
