By the time Javonte Williams signed with the Cowboys in March, it was known that meant at some point during the 2025 season he would return to Denver, where he played his first four NFL seasons, to take on the Broncos.
What couldn't have been expected then, given the apparent trajectory of his career, is that he'd do so as one of the top-performing running backs in the league.
Williams has proven to be an enormous free-agency steal, already having rushed for a career-high six touchdowns and picked up 592 yards on the ground, behind only the Colts' Jonathan Taylor through seven weeks. And while many of his former coaches in Denver are elated for Williams' turnaround, they're hopeful any continued success proves elusive -- at least during Sunday's Cowboys-Broncos matchup.
"He is playing at a high level," Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Williams on Thursday, per the team transcript. "He looks like he has his legs back, explosive, he's breaking tackles. He's catching the football. He's playing on all three downs, so I'm happy for that dude. He's such a great person. Obviously that's our opponent on Sunday, so we have to get him stopped but I'm happy for him."
Williams has always possessed the potential to become a game-changing feature back.
He showed it as a rookie in 2021, amassing 1,219 yards and seven scores on 203 carries and 43 catches, but four games into his second season he tore his ACL and suffered further damage to his knee.
Head coach Sean Payton arrived in 2023 and still leaned on Williams as the leader in the backfield, but the former second-rounder's explosiveness was seemingly sapped. After averaging 4.4 yards per carry before his knee injury, Williams managed just 3.6 yards a tote from 2023-24, and this offseason caught on with Dallas on a cheap one-year, $3 million contract.
He turned expectations upside down in short order, scoring two touchdowns in the Cowboys' season opener, and since then has topped 75 rushing yards in all but one contest. In three of his past five games, he's eclipsed 6 yards per carry. His 5.3 YPC overall is nearly a yard above his previous best in a season, and his 84.6 rushing yards per game trumps his previous high (53.1) by more than 30 yards.
Simply put, Williams has been a revelation for the Cowboys offense, which ranks second in scoring and first in yards thanks in part to Williams keeping defenses honest so quarterback Dak Prescott can take advantage through the air.
The Broncos luckily made a shrewd move of their own in June by inking J.K. Dobbins to a one-year $5.25 million contract, which the veteran back has rewarded them for by tallying 523 rushing yards and four TDs.
Had Denver not found a suitable replacement through a combination of Dobbins and second-round rookie RJ Harvey, who's come along slowly with 264 scrimmage yards but has shown burst, perhaps seeing Williams come to town having finally returned to form three years post-injury would sting to a degree.
Instead, the Broncos, sitting atop the AFC West at 5-2, can celebrate their former RB's ascendence while still preparing to stall it.
"I'm one of his biggest fans," Payton said Friday. "I think that he found a great opportunity. You talk about a wonderful… You guys covered him longer than I coached him, but a tremendous guy, a tremendous player, smart. I'm happy to see the success he's having. ... [Dallas is] at the top of the league offensively for a lot of reasons. The tight end, the skill receivers, the running back, the quarterback, those pieces that you look for. Our defense will get tested, so I look forward to the challenge."
The Broncos are slated to take on Williams and the Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
