Football
One positive aspect of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 season was the performance of their running back group. Coming into the year, there were real questions about the quality of the position group, and many believed they were one of the worst running back units in all of football.
As the season went on, we learned that could not have been further from the truth, and the performance of Dallas’ running backs as a whole was one of the bright spots in a lost season.
Javonte Williams, whom the Cowboys signed to a one-year deal last spring, was the star of the show, putting together the most complete season of his NFL career. Behind Williams, 27-year-old Malik Davis was a quality backup running back, averaging 4.8 Y/A and providing some much-needed juice to the run game in the second half of the season.
As good as Dallas’ running backs were this season, the position group’s future is once again uncertain as we head into the offseason. Both Williams and Davis (RFA) are free agents this spring, and the Cowboys have unproven Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah as the only two running backs on their roster that are under contract for next season.
Blue or Mafah are both still young and could certainly turn into productive running backs as they continue to grow, but it’s almost a certainty that Dallas will pair them with a veteran running back next season. The most likely scenario appears to be the Cowboys re-signing Williams, which they have already expressed interest in doing at the end-of-season press conference.
But if Williams’ strong year prices him out of a return to Dallas, the Cowboys may have to look elsewhere for their veteran running back. If they do that, a potential option could be Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. In a recent article the Cowboys were listed as one of the “top fits” for the former first-round pick.
The Dallas Cowboys are once again heading into another offseason with far more questions than answers at the running back spot. While the Cowboys were fortunate to have signed Javonte Williams to a budget contract following the departure of Rico Dowdle last year, their breakout back is hitting the open market again and isn’t guaranteed to remain in Dallas.
If Williams elects to take his talents elsewhere, the Cowboys will have to scour the market to find a replacement. With only little-used backups Jaydon Blue, Israel Abanikanda and Phil Mafah are under contract for the 2026 season, the door would be open for a blockbuster free-agent acquisition. Etienne would be a sensible choice for a Cowboys team that should be feeling desperate for some backfield stability. The team hasn’t fielded the same Week 1 starter in consecutive years since Ezekiel Elliott departed for the first time in 2022, but Etienne could fill that void and hold down Dallas’ RB1 job for the next few years.
With a wealth of starting experience—Etienne has performed that role in 60 of his first 66 NFL games—and a history of availability after returning from a preseason Lisfranc injury that derailed his entire rookie campaign, the Cowboys could finally have a stalwart in their running backs room again by coming to terms with the 26-year-old. Etienne projects to be a strong fit in head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme as well. Despite eschewing the chance to spend big bucks or use premium draft picks on running backs, Dallas still ranked inside the top-10 in rushing offense in 2025 and coaxed a career year from Williams—a player who was largely written off after averaging a dismal 3.6 yards per rushing attempt during his final two seasons with the Denver Broncos.
That’s a very good point about Etienne being a strong fit in Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme, and that certainly could make the Cowboys interested in acquiring the soon-to-be 27-year-old. Spotrac projects Etienne to earn a two-year, $13.6M deal on the open market this spring. This number seems a bit low considering Etienne’s performance during the 2025 season, but if his market is not as strong as Williams (projects to earn a three-year $22.5M deal), Dallas could jump at adding the talented back for less money.
The Cowboys will be looking at plenty of running backs this offseason, and there is a decent chance Travis Etienne will be one of their top targets at the position.
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