FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said Thursday that running back Javonte Williams is “really a master” of the team’s pass protection going into his second season in the system, three days before Dallas opens against the New York Giants.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. Williams re-signed with Dallas in February on a three-year, $24 million contract that includes $16 million guaranteed, according to DallasCowboys.com and Spotrac.
What the Cowboys do in pass protection is a little more difficult to learn than at other places around the league, Adams said, because of who they have at quarterback.
“I think that it definitely does,” Adams said of a second year in the system. “And I think that you start seeing it when you’re maybe midway through the first year with the guys, they start understanding what to expect in the plan. And I think that helps them respond to things a little bit quicker.
“And probably with us, one of the biggest nuances when guys come here, just because of who we have at quarterback, is what we do in pass protection is probably a little bit, I don’t want to say chaotic, but a little bit more difficult to learn than other places around the league,” Adams continued. “So he’s really a master of that stuff.”
Javonte Williams Coming Off A 1,201-Yard Season
Williams signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Dallas in March 2025. He ran 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games, all career highs, and caught 35 passes for 137 yards and two more scores. The Cowboys placed him on injured reserve Jan. 3, and he missed the season finale, a 34-17 loss at MetLife Stadium the next day. The new contract includes a $6 million signing bonus and a $1.75 million base salary for 2026, according to Spotrac.
Dallas averaged 125.6 rushing yards per game in 2025, ninth in the NFL, according to DallasCowboys.com. The Cowboys scored 471 points. Dak Prescott is in his 11th season as Dallas’ starting quarterback.
Javonte Williams And The Space Against Shell Defenses
In 2025, the NFL moved touchbacks on kickoffs to the 35-yard line. Dallas gets into field goal range pretty quickly, according to Adams.
“I think the way that the league is heading right now, I think it feels like defenses are probably going to take a few more risks in between the 40-yard lines, or in between the 30s, I guess you would say, just because of the way that the kickoff rules kind of affected the game,” Adams explained. “And the way, particularly with us, you’re in field goal range pretty quick. So it’ll be interesting to see if teams start getting a little bit more aggressive.
“But if you’re going to see a lot of shell defense, that guy, there’s a lot of space in there,” Adams added. “And so if you’re able to kind of block man for man, there should be opportunities for that guy to get through the front seven.”
Kicker Brandon Aubrey has six career field goals of 60 yards or more, the most in NFL history, according to The Associated Press.
Receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens combined for 2,506 receiving yards last season. Pickens is playing on the franchise tag. When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Williams to congratulate him on his new deal, Williams asked him to keep Pickens, too, DallasCowboys.com reported.
The Denver Broncos took Williams in the second round out of North Carolina in 2021, 35th overall. He ran for more than 900 yards as a rookie. In Week 4 of 2022, he tore the ACL and LCL in his knee. He spent four seasons in Denver and has 3,595 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns in his career.
In last season’s opener at Philadelphia on Sept. 4, Williams ran 15 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
