Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility. Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Mina Kimes expresses optimism for Dallas Cowboys' run game in 2025

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 7:54 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys' rushing attack was a weakness for their offense in 2024, leading to a belief that they would finally go after a new franchise back. That's not the direction they went, however.

Instead, Dallas opted for a committee approach, signing veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency and selecting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in the 2025 NFL draft. These moves have been seen as underwhelming, but not everyone believes it will be a disaster.

On her latest episode of The Mina Kimes Show, Kimes spoke with former NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse about the Dallas ground game. Both expressed optimism despite the lack of a franchise back.

Kimes said her optimism about the run game stems from the passing attack, since defenses won't be comfortable covering CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens one-on-one. She says that this will lead to a lot of light boxes, which will allow their backs to make plays.

Could Dallas improve at running the ball this year? The offense is likely to face a ton of light boxes—and both @mnewhouse73 and I are intrigued by the Klayton Adams hire.

NFC East preview pod

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— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) July 11, 2025

"That run game, to me, being better depends on a few things happening. The young offensive line has to take another step, but there's continuity there, right? Like a lot of these guys got reps last year. I love that. Guyton, Beebe, you know like they played together. The young backs, Jaydon Blue is undersized, home run hitter, a little bit of a fumbling problem in college. But as kind of the Tony Pollard role, I do like it. Javonte Williams is the guy I'm hoping can look a little bit more like he did at the beginning of his career, where he was really tackle-breaking, punishing, bell-cow back."

Kimes stated that there's also some excitement with new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, whom she called an "interesting offensive coach". She and Newhouse both praised the work Adams did with the Arizona Cardinals, where they were always dominant on the ground.

As for their offensive line, Newhouse said they were physical and bruising, and believes Tyler Booker will be a huge help in the ground game. If Newhouse and Kimes are correct, this could be a far better offense than expected.