The Cowboys begin the offseason with WR George Pickens and RB Javonte Williams as prominent impending free agents. It seems pretty clear -- and makes sense -- that Dallas would like to retain Pickens. The plan for Williams looks less clear, however.
Executive VP Stephen Jones, via the Forth Worth Star-Telegram: "Obviously, there's guys that we want to keep from last year. Whether it's George Pickens or it's Javonte, those are all guys that play into the free agency picture. We've got work to do on the defensive side of the ball. Whether that's through free agency or the draft, there's a lot of resources that that we can use to make our defense better."
Jones on Pickens, asked whether they're seeking a long-term deal with the WR: "We won't get into any details right now. Certainly, we want George to be back here in Dallas, and we'll go from there."
Jones on Williams: "We've certainly visited with Javonte. We haven't had a lot of those visits; most of those happen at the Combine. Obviously, we still have some time before free agency starts. We're always visiting the representatives about our players."
That's merely a selection of quotes from a single session with Jones at the Senior Bowl. It's possible he indicated more strongly outside those words that they want the RB back.
But from what made that article, the team appears to be prioritizing the defense and Pickens over Williams. And that would certainly make sense.
The defense ranked among the league's worst last season and then replaced its coordinator. Pickens enjoyed a breakout year after arriving via trade and will turn just 25 in March.
If you're taking part in early best ball drafts, you should probably assume Pickens will stay in Dallas.
That's also the most likely specific landing spot for Williams as well. But don't treat him as a sure thing to maintain his Cowboys backfield lead.
Williams' RB24 position in opening Underdog Fantasy ADP seems fair. Even if he doesn't return to Dallas, that would likely mean he has found a team that wants him even more.
Williams finished 12th among RBs in points per game in both half-PPR and full-PPR scoring in 2025.
He's a solid-to-good value early in Round 7 of current drafting.
Pickens sits at WR9 late in Round 2 on Underdog as of this writing. That makes sense for now coming off his WR6 finish.
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