Cowboys news: Dallas re-signs Javonte Williams to new contract

Cowboys, Javonte Williams agree to terms on 3 year, $24 million contract – Tommy Yarish, dallascowboys.com

Before free agency, the Cowboys elect to run things back with Javonte Williams.

FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys and running back Javonte Williams have agreed to terms on a three-year, $24 million contract. Williams, 25, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cowboys going into the 2025 season. Now, after a career-best 1,201 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, Dallas is set to keep Williams in their backfield long term.

Behind Williams, the Cowboys had the ninth-best rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 125.6 yards per game on the ground and 4.6 yards per carry. When asked about his future during the season, Williams made clear he enjoyed Dallas and wasn’t necessarily looking for the most amount of money in free agency when the time came around.

“I love it here,” Williams said in mid-December. “I love my teammates, I love everybody… You don’t always want to just follow money and things like that. You want to go somewhere where you can succeed and be a part of something that’s special. I feel like it’s very special here.”

After the 2025 season concluded, the Cowboys were not shy about the fact that they wanted to keep Williams in Dallas for the future, and that it was one of the top priorities of the offseason.

Where is Ezekiel Elliott on the Cowboys All-Time running back list? – Mark Heaney, Inside the Star

While we’re talking running backs, where does Elliott fall in Dallas Cowboys history?

This past NFL season was the first in which Ezekiel Elliott did not play since 2015. Dak Prescott was still at Mississippi State, Dez Bryant was one year removed from the best year of his career, and new Cowboys DC Christian Parker was a DB coach at Norfolk State.

Needless to say, it was quite a long time ago, and yet that draft night debate of Zeke vs. Jalen Ramsey feels like yesterday. Elliott is only 30 years old, but barring a pretty shocking comeback, his career is all but over in the NFL. Nine years in the league, eight in Dallas, and over 9,100 rushing yards; that’s quite the run, even if we all expected him to last longer.

As the dust settles on Elliott’s career, it will be fascinating to see how history looks back on his career, given all the highs and some notable lows. Here, I’ll give you my ranking of the Cowboys’ all-time running back list to show where I have the former Ohio State star.

Emmitt Smith: The Undisputed Number 1, Both For Dallas & The NFL

Do I even need to say anything here?

If a Cowboys running back is ever able to even contend with Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith for the top spot in franchise history at the position, they’d be considered a top-five running back in the NFL’s history.

Smith played 13 years in Dallas, made four All-Pro teams, won three Super Bowls, was the league’s MVP in 1993, and is still the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

He is clearly the undisputed best running back in both the Cowboys’ and the NFL’s history.

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Tony Dorsett: Still Number 2, Despite Ezekiel Elliott’s Chase

For a while there, it looked like Cowboys legend Tony Dorsett would get passed up on the franchise’s list by Elliott, but he still holds the second spot in 2026.

The Hall of Fame inductee is second to Smith in just about every statistical category for the organization, though he does hold the record for longest rush with that iconic 99-yard touchdown in 1983. Dorsett is ahead of Elliott by one rushing touchdown and by a few thousand yards, though he never led the league in rushing like Zeke did (twice).

Some may make the case for Elliott over Dorsett, and he certainly would’ve had a case for it in my eyes had his prime lingered, but as things stand, this isn’t much of a debate to me.

Mental calisthenics: Parker needs Cowboys to abandon old ways in 2026 – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire

For the good of their new defensive coordinator, Dallas has to turn over a new leaf.

Calisthenics is a type of resistance training that uses a body’s own weight for exercise. It’s a preliminary training used to improve strength, stamina and flexibility. It’s often a first step for something bigger and a necessary hurdle to overcome for people who are seeking change.

For the Dallas Cowboys and their new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, it’s a required step in changing the makeup of a roster and scheme as quickly as possible.

Traditionally, calisthenics are physical, but for the Cowboys’ front office, it’s very much a mental thing, first and foremost. The Cowboys front office has to get over their aversion to certain positions and prototypes and get on board with Parker’s vision and plan. It’s time for the Cowboys front office to step outside their comfort zone, and there’s no time to waste.

For years the Cowboys have been trying to tread water on defense. When Dan Quinn left after 2023, they asked Mike Zimmer to hold down the fort. Zimmer did his best to stick with what he was inherited but the wheels had been clearly coming off even before Quinn stamped his ticket to DC. To no one’s surprise things were fairly static in Zimmer’s one year as defensive coordinator.

Then came Matt Eberflus. Much like the man who came before him, Eberflus kept things simple in his one season in charge. He moved the Cowboys to a zone heavy coverage scheme but he did little to change personnel or to be deceptive in any way. His messages fell on deaf ears and things went from bad to worse, becoming more predictable and more simplified by the week.

Christian Parker promises to change that. Like Brian Schottenheimer on offense, Parker wants to be multiple in philosophy. He wants to lean into strengths and away from weaknesses. That means a 3-4 base with massive scheme changes bleeding deep into the secondary. He’s committed but he needs the front office to be just as committed.

Cowboys 2026 draft: Top early-round inside offensive linemen in the draft-Mike Poland, Blogging the Boys

We’re covering all the top prospects for the draft this offseason.

We continue looking at the who the key prospects are in the first round the Dallas Cowboys could take with either of their Day 1 picks. In this edition we look at the inside offensive linemen.

Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

Strengths

Ioane is a big, powerful guard who’s best when he can anchor against bull rushers and keep the pocket clean. He plays with a strong base, heavy hands, and good awareness against stunts and twists, so he doesn’t look lost when defenses try to create confusion inside. His pass protection is the calling card with PFF grading him with an 87.0 pass-block grade (top tier nationally for guards), with zero penalties on passing downs.

Weaknesses

His issues are all about range and movement, not toughness. He’s more a power guard than space athlete, meaning the quickest interior penetrators can stress him if he has to redirect late, and his best run-blocking comes on gap concepts more than reach blocks. That’s why he’s seen as a guard-only projection.

Summary

Ioane projects as an early NFL starter because he consistently keeps the inside of the pocket clean which is exactly what teams want to protect, those expensive quarterbacks. He’s quite easily the top guard in this class, and Penn State’s own coaching staff have commented on his elite pass-pro skills in 2025.

(Top-20 prospect)