In another indication of an impending positional overhaul, The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson reported Monday that Broncos running back Javonte Williams is not expected to be re-signed this offseason.
Williams, the team's rushing leader, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
"While he was Denver’s leading rusher with 513 yards, he had his share of struggles and is not the same player he was before suffering a serious knee injury in October 2022," Tomasson wrote." [RB Jaleel] McLaughlin will be back and is an effective reserve but the Broncos likely will look for a potential starter in free agency or the draft. [RB Audric] Estime will need to show more than he did as a rookie to have a real shot to start. He had some strong runs but is lacking as a receiver and blocker. [RB Tyler] Badie or [RB Blake] Watson likely would need a big preseason to make the 53-man roster. [FB Michael] Burton could return for a third straight season on a minimum contract."
Indeed, Williams hasn't looked quite right since suffering a multi-ligament knee injury during his sophomore NFL campaign. His yards-per-carry plummeted from 4.4 in 2021 to 3.6 in 2023 as he struggled to locate running lanes upon returning to a full-time starting role.
It wasn't much better in 2024. Williams averaged 3.7 YPC across all 17 regular-season appearances (11 starts) and 139 carries in Denver's committee backfield. He graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 49 RB among 57 qualifiers.
After letting Williams walk, the Broncos will prioritize his replacement on the open market or via April's draft, for which they hold the 20th overall pick.
"I don’t know if we ever found that right," head coach Sean Payton said last week of potentially acquiring a bell-cow RB. "I understand the committee. I’m used to having two [running backs]. We’re going to have more than just one back. We’re going to stack that position group. It’s too hard in our league to play with just one, rarely does a team do it. Occasionally it happens. Certainly we’ll have a chance to evaluate when we get to the offseason evaluation process where we feel like we are at with each position, certainly that’s an important position."
