I don’t think Javonte Williams is anything special, but I sure like the situation he’s in. I think the Cowboys will reliably be punching in rushing touchdowns, and Williams will be the guy collecting the vast majority of them.
Dallas doesn’t have much else. It finished last season with lightly regarded Malik Davis as its No. 2 back. Maybe Jaydon Blue or Phil Mafah ascends some in their second seasons, but neither is even guaranteed to make the team at this point. And now that Dak Prescott is older, he’s not running much.
It’s Williams’ show, and he played well enough in his first season in Dallas to earn a three-year contract worth $24 million.
Williams ran for 1,201 yards last year, picking them up at 4.8 yards per attempt. Admittedly, the numbers in the passing game are pretty brutal – 35 catches for 137 yards, which works out to a historically bad 2.7 yards per target if the 16 incompletions are factored in.
But 13 TDs in 16 games, and that’s production I can get behind.
I think the rushing touchdowns will continue to flow. The supporting cast is good, including the line, and I like the scheme. They’ve got Klayton Adams as their offensive coordinator, and he seems to be an up-and-coming coach.
Adams spent two years as the offensive line coach in Arizona, and the Cardinals scored 17 and 18 rushing touchdowns in those seasons. The Cowboys scored 18 last year. Only five other offenses have scored at least 17 rushing touchdowns in each of the last three years.
Not that Adams alone is responsible for all of that production. But given what’s in place in Dallas, I expect it will be pumping out a generous number of rushing touchdowns. That makes Williams (despite his limitations) look like a good bet to be finishing among the touchdown leaders among running backs.
| RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS SINCE 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 23 | 24 | 25 | Tot |
| Buffalo | 22 | 32 | 30 | 84 |
| Detroit | 27 | 29 | 21 | 77 |
| Baltimore | 26 | 21 | 23 | 70 |
| Philadelphia | 22 | 29 | 17 | 68 |
| Indianapolis | 19 | 20 | 27 | 66 |
| San Francisco | 27 | 17 | 15 | 59 |
| Washington | 14 | 25 | 20 | 59 |
| Klayton Adams | 17 | 18 | 18 | 53 |
| Miami | 27 | 12 | 14 | 53 |
| Jacksonville | 17 | 13 | 22 | 52 |
| Green Bay | 10 | 23 | 18 | 51 |
| LA Rams | 18 | 15 | 17 | 50 |
| Atlanta | 14 | 18 | 17 | 49 |
| Chicago | 16 | 13 | 19 | 48 |
| Seattle | 11 | 17 | 19 | 47 |
| Pittsburgh | 16 | 14 | 16 | 46 |
| NY Giants | 10 | 13 | 22 | 45 |
| • Arizona | 17 | 18 | 9 | 44 |
| New England | 9 | 11 | 22 | 42 |
| Kansas City | 9 | 15 | 15 | 39 |
| • Dallas | 14 | 6 | 18 | 38 |
| Denver | 8 | 12 | 18 | 38 |
| LA Chargers | 11 | 17 | 10 | 38 |
| New Orleans | 13 | 15 | 9 | 37 |
| Tampa Bay | 8 | 16 | 13 | 37 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 11 | 9 | 36 |
| Carolina | 7 | 18 | 9 | 34 |
| Cincinnati | 12 | 11 | 11 | 34 |
| Houston | 10 | 15 | 9 | 34 |
| Cleveland | 15 | 8 | 10 | 33 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 9 | 15 | 31 |
| Las Vegas | 11 | 10 | 5 | 26 |
| NY Jets | 7 | 8 | 11 | 26 |
—Ian Allan
