The Dallas Cowboys' offense put together a great season, even if it (barring a miracle) hasn't been enough to get to the playoffs.
But there's a chance it'll look quite different next season, depending on the fates of Javonte Williams and George Pickens.
Both of them are set to be free agents at the end of the season.
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Pickens has been a frequent topic all season. Will he get the franchise tag or a record-setting deal? It seems the Cowboys wouldn't let Pickens walk entirely, so the franchise tag feels like the minimum.
But if Dallas gives the franchise tag to Pickens, it can't be given to Williams. And that leaves a question of value for him.
"(Williams) has career highs in carries, rushing yards and touchdowns (10) this season," ESPN's Todd Archer wrote on Tuesday. "He tore his ACL in 2022 but has been healthy since. He turns 26 in April. But in the past two years, the Cowboys have found 1,000-yard rushers with an undrafted free agent (Rico Dowdle) and a low-cost free agent (Williams). Do they think it's worth keeping Williams? They will likely set a price and not exceed their budget. And the franchise tag would not be an option because that seems destined for Pickens."
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If the Cowboys let Williams leave, they're essentially doing last offseason all over again. They let Dowdle go, then signed Williams and Miles Sanders while drafting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. They've since had Malik Davis emerge as the backup RB amid injuries and ineffectiveness from the others.
Dallas knows what it has in Williams, and maybe that's valuable enough to pay out some cash.
But if the Pickens negotiations take center stage, it could result in Williams quietly being shown the door, leaving the Cowboys right where they started last offseason at the RB position.
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