Cowboys' Javonte Williams proves doubters wrong after September MVP performance

Dak Prescott's heroic efforts aside, there's another Dallas Cowboys player that deserves consideration as the team's offensive MVP of September – Javonte Williams.

The first-year Cowboys running back has exceeded the expectations of most through four weeks, even as the team has struggled to pick up wins.

Williams, who Dallas signed as a free agent addition this offseason, ranks sixth in the league in total rushing yards with 312. He ranks that highly despite the Cowboys running the ball only 35 percent of the time.

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He's averaging five yards per carry with 63 carries, and he's scored four rushing touchdowns.

Javonte Williams against the Packers — Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Along with George Pickens, Williams leads the Cowboys in first downs with 19. The next-best running back for Dallas at the moment, Miles Sanders, has 117 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

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Williams had his share of doubters when the Cowboys picked him up this offseason. He had the strongest season in his career as a rookie for the Denver Broncos, and an ACL tear in Year 2 took time to recover from, but now, in Year 5, he's on pace to blow past his best season, in which he had 903 yards.

Javonte Williams runs in a touchdown against the Giants — Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) runs with the ball for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

If he maintains his average of 78 ypg, he'll finish the season with 1,326. No Cowboys running back has had more than 1,300 rushing yards in the regular season since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019.

Not that bargain shopping is always the way to go but the Cowboys clearly got a steal with Williams. He inked a free agency deal for 1 year and $3 million. Only the running backs still on their rookie contracts like JK Dobbins and Trevor Etienne make less than Williams while producing at MVP levels through four weeks.

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