With two young running backs expected to earn a pair of roster spots in Denver, the Broncos may have to choose between two of their more experienced rushers. Troy Renck of the Denver Post believes Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine are ultimately competing for one roster spot.
This would be an unfortunate turn of events for Williams, who was a second-round pick only three years ago. The North Carolina product never truly got a chance to lead the backfield in Denver. He did top 1,200 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, but he still split most of his reps that season with veteran Melvin Gordon. Then, his sophomore season was limited to only four games thanks to a torn ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner.
To Williams’ credit, he managed to return and start 13 of his 16 appearances in 2023. However, he averaged only 3.6 yards on his 217 carries, and while he finished the year with 47 receptions, that resulted in only 228 yards. While that drop in production could easily be attributed to his recovery from a devastating knee injury, the Broncos will surely use training camp and preseason to evaluate the running back ahead of the 2024 campaign. For what it’s worth, Renck observed that Williams “looked bigger and stronger” during the spring.
Perine was productive during his first season in Denver, finishing with a career-high 50 receptions and 693 yards from scrimmage. Heading into his age-29 season, Perine is the most veteran member of the Broncos RB corps, and with rookie Bo Nix under center, the Broncos may lean on the former fourth-round pick (especially in the passing game). Still, as Renck notes, Williams has also proved to be a capable pass-catcher, so the offense wouldn’t be completely lost without Perine.
Renck believes rookie fifth-round pick Audric Estime will earn one of the spots on the depth chart. The Notre Dame product had a breakout campaign in 2023, finishing the year with 1,341 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. The rookie suffered a knee injury during OTAs but is expected to be a full participant at training camp.
The team is also expected to hang on to Jaleel McLaughlin. The 2023 UDFA had a productive rookie season in Denver, finishing with 570 yards from scrimmage. He also notably hauled in 31 of his 36 targets, perhaps making him an option on third downs.
