A fresh start has running back Javonte Williams feeling like the fresh-faced 21-year-old he was when he entered the league.
Williams, who inked a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cowboys this offseason after four years with the Broncos, believes his body is finally fully back to normal from the torn ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner (PLC) he suffered during his second NFL campaign in 2022.
"I feel completely like myself" Williams said, per the team website. "I probably can get more flexible and things like that, but as far as healing up, that I feel like is done."
Williams looked to have the makings of a superstar during his rookie year, when he rumbled to 903 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 316 yards and three scores on 43 receptions. But the knee injury he suffered shifted his trajectory, requiring a long road back.
After averaging 4.4 yards per carry as a rookie, Williams' explosiveness seemed sapped over his final two years with the Broncos. He ran for 774 yards on 217 totes (3.6 YPC) in 2023, then ceded more carries to Denver's running back committee, rushing 139 times for 513 yards (3.7 YPC) last season.
There are some that might think this is simply the new normal for Williams, but at 25, the RB still considers himself to have plenty of juice, and he's ready to show it after an arduous journey to 100 percent.
"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 said regarding his recovery. "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."
The Cowboys took a cheap flier on him, part of a backfield churn meant to improve on the team's 27th-ranked rushing offense from a year ago.
Dallas also signed Miles Sanders and selected two more running backs in the draft -- fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue and seventh-rounder Phil Mafah.
A rotation is the expected route rather than the Cowboys turning to a workhorse, but Williams figures to be near the front of the line, especially if he turns out to be closer to the runner he was early in his career than the one he's recently been.
For now, he's paying no mind to how the carries shake out in Dallas. Rather, Williams is intent to make the most of every chance he gets.
"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."
