Williams remains the clear lead back for the Cowboys, but the situation behind him has changed significantly over the past few weeks.
Jaydon Blue was expected to be the top backup after the first week of the preseason, followed by Phil Mafah. Instead, neither made the roster, and Malik Davis won the backup job after serving as the primary backup to end last season. Dallas added Emari Demercado after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs to serve as its third running back. Davis then suffered a hip injury in practice Thursday and landed on injured reserve. Dallas signed Israel Abanikanda off the practice squad to take Davis’ place, but he was inactive. The Cowboys have often kept only two halfbacks active because Hunter Luepke can also fill that role. Despite the uncertainty behind him, Williams played slightly less than he typically did last season. Luepke handled the majority of the third-down snaps. While Luepke was used in those situations last season, Williams typically played more than 50% of the snaps. That reduced playing time didn’t stop Williams from dominating the backfield touches. The Cowboys' run game wasn’t particularly effective, but Williams scored two touchdowns and caught five passes.