Dallas Cowboys: Can Ryan Williams surprise in 2015?

By Stephen Forsha | May 11, 2015

Remember when the Arizona Cardinals had a rookie running back named Ryan Williams who was nicknamed “Lil’ Sweetness” when he entered the league – that after Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton?

Williams’ days as being “Lil’ Sweetness” and being on the Cardinals are gone, but Williams (who missed the ’14 season) has another chance to prove how productive he can be on the football field, and that place is on the roster of the Dallas Cowboys.

The 5-10, 205-pound Williams is injury-prone thus far in his NFL career. The 25-year-old can still be a player who can produce numbers, but I don’t believe he’s a running back who can carry a full load of rushes. That is a good thing though because with the Cowboys (who signed Williams last season) it seems to have the feeling their offense will be using a running back by committee this upcoming season.

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The stats from Williams’ lone NFL time in the regular season came in 2012, his second year with the Cardinals (he missed all of 2011 with an injury). In five games before being injured again, he carried the ball 58 times for 164 yards.

Williams has only averaged 2.8 yards per carry in his NFL career, with his longest run being 25 yards.

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com wrote about the Cowboys’ injury-prone running back duo of Darren McFadden and Williams, saying “America’s Team” is high on the two backs before the start of workouts.

Wesseling quoted Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones when he talked about Williams:

"“His name actually came up quite a bit (during the draft),” Jones said. “Many times we were looking at backs later in the draft that we compared to Ryan and didn’t feel like they were as good as he was.”"

That statement from Jones can be taken two ways … either Williams is going to be a solid player for them in ’15, or the Cowboys don’t expect a lot from any of the running backs they passed on late in the draft, right?

I believe a lot of the Cowboys’ thought process in not going after a big name at running back is the fact they believe in their revamped offensive line and have the feeling nearly anyone can run for positive yardage behind that very talented group of players.

That is the vibe I’m getting from afar, at least.

Dec 21, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle (21) runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Even with McFadden, Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle also on the roster, wouldn’t it be interesting to see what a healthy Williams is capable of behind a stout offensive line like the Cowboys have built the past few seasons?

David Helman of FoxSports.com recently wrote about how the Cowboys “want to trust Randle” this season:

"“Randle was an effective change of pace from Murray at times last season. But he’s also landed in the news for unflattering reasons. He was arrested for shoplifting last October, and he was involved in a domestic dispute at a hotel in Wichita, Kan., earlier this offseason.”"

With the middle of May nearing – though many might be content up to this point with what the Cowboys are doing with their running game this season – wouldn’t it be fun during camp to see some veterans be signed to one-year deals and compete with Williams and the others for a roster spot?

Though it could have been a larger loss, losing DeMarco Murray to free agency doesn’t hurt as much as it could have, but the Cowboys better make sure they have the right players to replace what Murray became in ’14 by leading the NFL in rushing with 1,800-plus yards.

Yes, the offensive line had a lot to do with that, but right now the Cowboys have injury-prone running backs who have yet to prove themselves in the NFL.

A guess once the final roster is set following the competition of the preseason is if Williams stays healthy, he’ll be suited up for Week 1 against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.

As much as the running backs on the Cowboys want to be successful, their past history suggests otherwise. History hopefully won’t repeat itself, but if injuries would sneak up again, the Cowboys could be in trouble at running back in ’15. For his sake, many would like to see a glimpse of “Lil’ Sweetness” again.

Next: Dez Bryant shouldn't return punts in 2015

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