Did Javonte Williams already play his last game with Cowboys?

In need of a lead back, the Dallas Cowboys rolled the dice on former Denver Broncos second-round pick Javonte Williams this offseason.

Williams was impressive as a rookie in 2021, running for 903 yards and four touchdowns. During his second season, however, Williams suffered a torn ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. That ended his year prematurely, and he spent the remainder of his time in Denver trying to return to form.

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He was finally able to accomplish this in Dallas, running for a career-high 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns. While he has been a force in their offense, Williams has also been dealing with a shoulder injury in recent weeks. That injury will sideline him for the Week 18 finale, which begs the question of whether he's already played his final game for the Cowboys.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams runs during the first half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Williams played on a team-friendly contract with Dallas, earning $4 million after hitting all his incentives. His performance outweighed that deal, which is why there are predictions he could sign elsewhere in the offseason.

Whether this happens depends on Williams. If he's truly happy in Dallas and wants to continue to play in a system he thrives in, he could look to sign a similar deal. If his ultimate goal is to make as much money as possible, his payday will likely be elsewhere.

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Dallas understands how valuable Williams is, but they're also heavily invested in playmakers on offense. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Jake Ferguson already have decent contracts. They're also going to be trying to work out a new deal for George Pickens.

That being the case, the Cowboys might decide to roll the dice on another option, especially after they saw Malik Davis run for more than 100 yards in place of Williams last week. Knowing they can get production out of other backs, their plan could very well be to let Williams walk and roll with a more afforable player.

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