Javonte

Williams

“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 writes. Yup, that about sums it up. Tomasson writes that Jaleel McLaughlin will be back as a reserve but that the Broncos “likely will look for a potential starter in free agency or the draft.” It sure seemed like the way the Broncos managed the running back room this year that they didn’t have a real No. 1 back on the roster, and this report pretty much confirms that finding.

Although Williams was once again the nominal “lead back” in the Broncos’ make-it-up-as-you-go-along backfield in Buffalo on Sunday, he heads into the offseason with a middling 69 touches over his final 10 games. That includes never once reaching 10 carries during that timespan. The owner of a wheezing 3.69 yards per tote, Williams’ inefficiency was confirmed by NextGenStats, which charted him as the league’s third worst back in terms of average rush yards over expected. An impending free agent who failed to earn Sean Payton’s trust in either of the coach’s first two years on the job, Williams seems highly unlikely to be back in Denver. Going on 25 following an entirely uninspiring rookie contract, one that featured a torn ACL, Williams could struggle to generate open-market interest after failing to gel with running back guru Payton.

The Broncos were up 24-0 at halftime so second-half usage is perhaps unreliable but Williams notably dominated passing-down snaps in the first half, taking 100.0 percent of positional snaps in both the two-minute drill and in third- and fourth-and-long situations. Williams also ran far more efficiently than starter Jaleel McLaughlin (2.4 YPC) did so Williams could take on a larger rushing role against the Bills next week.

McLaughlin returned from a one-game absence due to a quad injury to lead the backfield in snaps and opportunities. Javonte Williams, the starter in the backfield to begin the season, did not receive a carry while being targeted only twice, while Audric Estime gained 24 yards on nine carries and caught his lone target for 13 yards. The Broncos now turn their attention to the Chiefs in Week 18, with a win sending them to the postseason and a loss likely ending their Cinderella story, depending on the outcome of the Bengals’ game.

Williams showed off his burst on a 15-yard rush and was an effective safety valve for Bo Nix, but as per usual, most of the touches didn’t result in much for the 24-year-old. Audric Estime was the much more effective runner, but Estime’s inability to help in the passing game serves to Williams’ benefit. Jaleel McLaughlin sat out Thursday with a quad injury, and his potential return in Week 17 against the Bengals makes this a muddy situation that won’t likely clear up before the end of the year.

McLaughlin led Broncos running backs with seven carries in Week 15 and tied for a positional-high three targets before being forced from play. His Week 16 absence consolidates the backfield touch dispersal, moderately increasing Javonte Williams and Audric Estime’s flex-viability.

The bad news is that Estime continues to underwhelm in the struggled Denver backfield. The good news for the rookie is that he could see extended run in Week 16 if Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) is sidelined in Week 16 against the Chargers. Estime, who has only one game this season with more than six carries, would split the backfield workload with Javonte Williams.

Williams was as ineffective as ever on the ground and as a pass catcher. He struggled to break tackles and was often forced to run east to west against a middling Indy rush defense. Jaleel McLaughlin led the Denver backfield with seven rushing attempts but was forced from the game with a quad injury in the second half. That could set up Williams as the de facto lead back in Week 16 against the Chargers. Even so, Williams would likely split touches with Audric Estime and being nothing more than a TD-dependent RB3 in fantasy leagues.

McLaughlin sustained the injury early in the second half. He had seven rushing attempts for 21 yards before exiting, leading all Denver running backs. Audric Estime and Javonte Williams will get more run for as long as McLaughlin — who led the team with 84 rushing yards in Week 13 — is able to return.

McLaughlin developed the hot hand in this one, taking his 14 carries for 84 yards compared to the four combined yards of Williams. That’s now two consecutive games with under five total yards for the veteran back, whose days as the clear lead back in Denver appear to be over.