Jones can say what he wants, but a running back room featuring Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Deuce Vaughn, and Malik Davis seems untenable. The Cowboys ranked 27th in total rushing yards (1,705) and 30th in yards per carry (4.0) as a team last season and only scored six touchdowns on the ground — the fewest of any team in the league. Jones noted that he likes the moves the team made in free agency, but you’d be hard pressed to find a front office executive who won’t say that about their team in April. Currently holding two Day 2 picks for Friday’s portion of the draft, it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys not adding a rookie back to lead what appears to be an underwhelming backfield next season.

It’s a statement that feels obvious, but in case there was any doubt as to whether or not the Cowboys’ backfield situation was settled following the signings of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, it’s safe to say there is more work to do. While Yousuf points out that Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty may be available when the Cowboys are on the clock at No. 12, he notes that “it doesn’t sound like the Cowboys are drooling over the opportunity to pick him.” With running back being among the deepest positions in this year’s draft, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cowboys kick the position down the road until Day 2 of the draft — especially when you consider the myriad of other needs they need to address along the o-line, and at receiver, to name a few. As far as fantasy is concerned, any running back taken by the Cowboys in the first three rounds could immediately threaten Williams and Sanders for snaps, with Sanders likely being the first odd man out once training camp starts.

The deal carries a maximum value of $3.5 million through incentives, making it extremely likely that Williams initially serves as a backup behind Rico Dowdle. The Cowboys were highly likely to address running back in some fashion through free agency considering the only other back on the roster behind Dowdle was the undersized Deuce Vaughn, but the monetary value of Williams’ contract does not inspire much confidence in dynasty managers stuck riding him out this offseason.

Paton praised Williams further by calling him “one of the best pass protectors in the league.” That’s an interesting quote after he struggled badly at it in 2023, Sean Payton’s first season as Broncos head coach. Williams is set to hit free agency for the first time in March and the Denver Gazzette’s Chris Tomasson reported that the Broncos weren’t expected to re-sign the 24-year-old back. We’d still expect that to be the case even after this quote, but the door is perhaps more open than it seemed a month ago.