The Baltimore Ravens made one of the best signings of last offseason when they landed Derrick Henry. Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, didn't even pick up the phone to give him a call.
A year later, after watching their run game completely disappear in 2024, Dallas finally decided to address the position by signing former Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3 million deal, per Tom Pelissero.
Williams is a solid addition, but it’s hard to ignore the irony here. Last year, Jerry Jones dismissed the idea of signing Henry, going off the rails, saying he wouldn’t fit their offense. Instead, Henry went on to rush for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, while the Cowboys finished 27th in the league in rushing, with 1,705 total yards... as a team... like everyone on the roster combined.
Now, they’re scrambling to fix what could have been solved a year ago.
To be fair, Williams is still just 24 and has shown flashes of being a capable lead back. But this move feels more like a course correction than a real game-changer. But isn't being reactive instead of proactive Jerry's thing?
Cowboys finally address RB by signing Javonte Williams
Dallas could have avoided this entire situation if they had just made a move last offseason. Henry owns property near the facilities and was reportedly interested in the Cowboys, but luckily Jones never even entertained the idea.
The result? Henry had arguably the best rushing season in history, leading one of the most explosive rushing attacks the NFL has ever seen, while Dallas’ run game struggled all season.
Now, the Cowboys are hoping Williams can be the answer. He’s rushed for 2,394 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons, but injuries have been a concern, and he’s never been a true workhorse back. He’s a solid player, but he’s not the type of back who will take over games the way Henry can.
The Cowboys’ lack of urgency in fixing the position last year came back to haunt them, and now they’re left making band-aid moves in free agency. Williams is a fine addition, but let’s not pretend this is some groundbreaking move that suddenly elevates Dallas’ offense.
If nothing else, this move shows the Cowboys finally acknowledged what was obvious a year ago: their run game wasn’t good enough. Maybe watching Derrick Henry run wild in Baltimore while their own rushing attack sputtered forced Jerry Jones to finally rethink his approach. The world may never know, but this move suggests he was watching when Henry torched them in Week 3 for 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Williams isn’t Henry by any stretch of the imagination, and this signing won’t erase their massive mistake last year. But kudos to Dallas for being inspired by Henry and the Ravens. Meanwhile, Baltimore will happily keep rolling with the guy who literally helped Lamar Jackson rewrite history.