When Jerry Jones and the Cowboys handed Javonte Williams a $3 million contract, the reaction was anything but unanimous excitement. Dan Rogers of Blogging The Boys summed up the hesitation perfectly: “Watching tape of him before and after, you can see that his build-up speed is not the same… He’s really just a bruiser back and nothing more.” Critics didn’t hold back, pointing to Denver’s frustration with his 3.6 yards per carry over the past two seasons. The Cowboys called it a calculated reset, but it felt more like a desperate wager on faded potential.

That desperation came from a ground game teetering on collapse. Dallas limped to 30th in the league, averaging just 100.3 rushing yards per game and an uninspired 4.0 yards per carry. In response, they also signed Miles Sanders and drafted two RBs, including Jaydon Blue, showing they knew they needed depth, but still put their faith in Williams as a Day 1 starter. Analysts lined up to hammer the front office for ignoring workhorse options like Derrick Henry, who, by the way, actually wanted to wear a star on his helmet. Now, Williams stands as both a necessary gamble and a lightning rod for doubt that refuses to go away.

The expectations from Williams in Dallas are high for the 2025 season. But the fans of the America’s team would like to keep it low. Back in 2022, during his second season with the Broncos, the running back went down with a knee injury, tearing his ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. His season was limited to just four games, and ever since, that explosiveness and spark are still missing.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report noted, “Williams hasn’t been an explosive back since his 2022 ACL tear, and he’s likely to cede touches to Miles Sanders, Deuce Vaughn and rookie Jaydon Blue early and often.” The Cowboys added Javonte to the team this offseason with a lucrative one-year, $3 M deal, with everyone expecting him to open the season as RB1. But can he? With these underlying issues, is the RB the key that will help elevate “Dallas’ 30th-ranked running game.”

Think about this—Williams racked up over 900 yards and 4 touchdowns as a rookie with just one start. But after the injury? His production sagged to 774 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2023 despite 13 starts, then only 513 yards and 4 scores across 11 starts in 2024. Advanced metrics back this up: his maximum speed at the line last year (15.34 mph) was the slowest among backs with 113+ carries. That decline was hard to ignore. Denver saw the drop-off firsthand and, just like that, decided it was time to move on.

Though head coach Brian Schottenheimer is optimistic about the back, stating, “The hunger that (Williams) has coming back off the injury. Some of the best players I’ve ever been around are guys that have chips on their shoulders, and Javonte’s one of those guys.”

Meanwhile, Jerry Jones and Co. will have one less concern entering the 2025 season. It’s the quarterback Dak Prescott.

Jerry Jones’ quarterback feels healthy ahead of his 10th season

Dak Prescott inked a massive four-year, $240 million contract extension, including $231 million guaranteed, last year. But his season was limited to just 8 games, 1,978 yards, and 11 touchdowns following a hamstring avulsion that required surgery. Entering the 2025 season, skepticism was swirling around his return. Will he? Won’t he? But the silver lining?

The 10th-year quarterback took part in all the on-field drills and showed no signs of injury during the offseason. He even participated in an O2X training retreat in Georgia with skill‑group players like CeeDee Lamb and new WR George Pickens, focused on resilience and chemistry building. Medical staff have him listed as “full‑go” for camp, pending final clearance. The writing is on the wall: Dak Prescott is returning for his 10th season. His eyes are set on the first Lombardi of his career, and first for Jerry Jones in almost three decades. To spice it up, he revealed that he’s healthy enough to go for training camp.

“I’m healthy as I’ll be,” the 31-year-old quarterback said. “I’ll be full go for camp. I’m healthy. Yeah, I think soon here I’ll probably get the official sign off from doc, but I’m healthy.” The Cowboys will be facing the defending Super Bowl champions in the season opener. And let’s just say Dak felt pretty excited after the word broke.

“Excited to start this thing off against the defending Super Bowl champions,” he said. Fully recovered from a hamstring injury, surrounded by a new head coach, an upgraded receiving corps, and a reshaped running back room, Dak Prescott and Jerry Jones could be eyeing a true fresh start this September.