Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith attended the mandatory minicamp at The Star in Frisco, where the three-time Super Bowl champion shared words of encouragement with running back Javonte Williams.

Williams, who had a quiet breakout season with the Cowboys last year, made sure to speak with Smith when he greeted some of the Cowboys players after their minicamp session.

“It was cool just talking to him," Williams said, per DallasCowboys.com. "It was my first time meeting him in person. I watch his highlights all the time. Just being another Cowboys running back, I know he's believing in me, he wants me to do my best. So I'm going to do it for him."

Having never touched the 1,000-yard mark in his four years, things were different in 2025. Williams carried the ball 252 times for 1,201 yards and recorded 11 touchdowns in 2025 for 16 games, recording his best campaign with the Cowboys. 

The 2021 second-round pick by the Denver Broncos was signed as a low-risk short-term investment by the Cowboys for a one-year, $3.5M contract in 2024. He was later signed to a three-year, $24M contract with $16M guaranteed after his 2025 production.

When asked what advice the Hall of Famer shared with him, Williams said Smith encouraged him to trust his running style and stay confident in his game heading into the season.

"He just told me to keep running the way I'm running, and everything's going to be alright. I told him I got him." Williams said, per Tommy Yarrish of the Dallas Cowboys.com.

Williams is one of the three running backs in the Cowboys franchise, since 2000, that has logged at least one season with 1,100-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing touchdowns.

The last Cowboys RB to surpass 1,000 yards before Williams in recent years was Ezekiel Elliott with 1,357 yards in 2019 and 1,434 yards in 2018, according to NFL analyst Tom Blair.

While Williams' breakout campaign earned him a three-year contract extension, one analyst has cast doubt on whether he can replicate his 2025 production, suggesting he may be a 'one-hit wonder'.

Javonte Williams Faces Doubts After Breakout Season

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report explored the best and worst-case scenarios for each NFL offense in 2026, where he suggested Williams could be a part of such a worst-case scenario.

Knox suggested that one of the biggest questions facing the Cowboys' offense is whether Williams can prove his 2025 campaign to be a consistent upward production rather than a one-year wonder.

"Williams, meanwhile, is coming off the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career, and the Cowboys don't have much proven depth behind him," Knox wrote. "If he and Pickens both regress, Dallas' offense could be closer to average than elite."

As a starter, with thin RB depth behind, Williams enters his second year with the Cowboys with raised expectations of sustaining the form that will be crucial for the Cowboys' offense in 2026.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote