Javonte Williams suffered ACL, LCL and posterior lateral corner injuries in his knee during the 2022 season while playing for the Denver Broncos. Three years later, Williams believes he is returning to the shape he was in prior to the serious knee injuries, and is ready to rise to the top of the Dallas Cowboys depth chart after signing with the team this offseason.
“I feel completely like myself…” Williams told the Cowboys official website. “I probably can get more flexible and things like that, but as far as healing up, that I feel like is done.”
Williams produced an impressive rookie campaign with the Broncos in which he rushed for 903 yards and seven touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry. After he suffered the multiple knee injuries, Williams has racked up just 1,861 total yards of offense and nine touchdowns in 33 contests.
The veteran running back understands every player’s recovery period is different, but now he feels ready to return to competing at a high level.
“It just depends on who you are, it depends on your body… mine might take this amount of time, but somebody else might be different,” Williams added. “It’s a lot that goes into it that people don’t really understand. Just to be back out here and have another opportunity and chance to show myself, I can’t ask for nothing else.”
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Williams signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Cowboys in free agency back in March after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Broncos. Now, the former second-round pick is looking to make an impact with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys also signed Miles Sanders — formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers — to their running back room. In addition, Dallas selected former Texas running back Jaydon Blue with a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It’s unclear how the Cowboys will view their depth chart at the tailback position, but Williams has received a large amount of the first-team reps in the backfield throughout the early portion of OTAs.
“They didn’t really tell me too much about that stuff, all I know is just come in here and work every day, and everything else is going to take care of itself,” Williams said. “I’m not really big on the expectations and goals and stuff like that, I just go out and play well.”
Williams is looking to return to his early career form and make a push to lead the Cowboys backfield. It certainly will be a position of need for a Dallas team that ranked 27th in the NFL with just 100.3 rushing yards per game in 2024.
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