The Dallas Cowboys were the NFL's worst rushing offense in 2024, tallying only six touchdowns on the ground through 17 games. With Rico Dowdle handling the bulk of carries, Dallas recorded just three rushes over 20 yards all season and ranked 27th in the league, averaging just over 100 rushing yards per game.
Heading into the 2025 season, Dallas overhauled its running back room, including losing Rico Dowdle to the Carolina Panthers. The Cowboys added four new backs: free agents Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, along with Texas’ Jaydon Blue and Clemson’s Phil Mafah through the draft.
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While the Cowboys are still figuring out all their solutions in the run game, it was reported that Williams will be the team's starter for Dallas' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Javonte Williams is expected to be the Cowboys' Week 1 starter at RB, per @jonmachota. pic.twitter.com/WdnOFMTzxt
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 23, 2025
Before Dallas plays the defending Super Bowl champions in Philadelphia on Thursday night, let's take a look the running back room for America's team.
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Cowboys depth chart
| Position | Running back |
| 1 | Javonte Williams |
| 2 | Miles Sanders |
| 3 | Jaydon Blue |
| 4 | Phil Mafah |
1. Javonte Williams
Williams — who was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — has totaled 2,394 yards in his four seasons. After tallying a career-high 903 yards in his rookie season, Williams tore his ACL in 2022, causing him to miss the rest of the year. While he has steadily worked his way back, he has not put up the same production since, finishing with 774 yards in 2023 and 513 yards in 2024.
Coming out of North Carolina, Williams was known for his ability to break tackles and generate burst after contact. Although he hasn’t fully lived up to those expectations since his injury, he will get another opportunity as the starting running back in the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era.
UNC Javonte Williams was different https://t.co/A6QL3n8PEu
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) September 2, 2025
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2. Miles Sanders
In his first game with the Cowboys, Sanders will return to the place where his career began. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and played his college football at Penn State.
Sanders put up a career-high 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season with Philadelphia, but his production declined with the Carolina Panthers. In 2023 and 2024, he combined for just 637 rushing yards and three touchdowns, eventually losing the starting job to Chuba Hubbard.
With Dallas, Sanders is expected to have a more stable role but remains behind Williams on the depth chart.
3. Jaydon Blue
Blue is entering his rookie NFL season after a breakout final year at Texas, where he rushed for 730 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 368 receiving yards and six more scores through the air. The Houston native had one of the best games of his career in the first round of the College Football Playoff against No. 12 Clemson, rushing 14 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two receiving touchdowns in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State—the only touchdowns Texas scored in the game—though the Buckeyes went on to win the National Championship.
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Blue has a high ceiling in his first year in Dallas, especially when his ability to catch passes out of the backfield is taken into account.
4. Phil Mafah
Mafah will start the season on injured reserve after a standout career at Clemson. He finished his collegiate career ranked ninth in school history with 2,887 rushing yards and 10th with 28 rushing touchdowns. In his final season, Mafah rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his college career, helping Clemson win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.
At the start of his pro career, his NFL carries might be limited, especially with the injury.