The Dallas Cowboys' running back room in 2025 under Brian Schottenheimer has gotten a lifetime of motivation given how many times they've been beaten down and picked on this offseason.
Oh, and we aren't even at training camp yet.
Yes, the run game last season was poor (not the worst, though), and many appear to be living in the past when it comes to this season's group. Now, we aren't suggesting it will be a dominant force, but being more productive, which won't be too hard.
Miles Sanders, Javonte Williams, and Jaydon Blue loom as the top three as we enter Oxnard in a couple of weeks, with Sanders, not Williams, seen by some as the default starter if a game were to be played today.
But as far as Williams is concerned, Bleacher Report has named him as Dallas' "bust" candidate.
"This offseason, the Cowboys added former Broncos running back Javonte Williams to help reload their rushing attack," Bleacher Report writes. "While Williams' one-year, $3 million deal is modest, he's still largely expected to open the season as RB1. Williams hasn't been an explosive back since his 2022 ACL tear, and he's likely to cede touches to Miles Sanders, Deuce Vaughn and rookie Jaydon Blue early and often."
Now, Williams isn't "expected" to open the season as the starter. We don't know who will be yet, and if we had to pick one, it might be Sanders, not Williams based off OTA and minicamp performance.
Still, to label Williams a bust candidate, wouldn't we have to know the bar needed to be reached first? Would Javonte be a bust if he posted 600 rushing yards and five touchdowns as the starter while having help from Sanders and Blue?
Or would failing to reach his 2024 stat line of 513 yards and four touchdowns make him a bust?
And at $3 million, how "bust'y'' can he really be?
And yes, of course, Williams will "cede" touches to Sanders and Blue. This run game won't be one-dimensional; instead, a committee approach is expected under Schottenheimer.
But again, the run game is low-hanging fruit, and picking Williams as a "bust" candidate?
That might be even lower.
