If the Denver Broncos had one glaring weakness in 2024, it was the run game. Time after time, when the Broncos found their backs against the wall, it was the running backs room that wasn’t pulling its weight.
Over the course of the season it became clear that the Broncos’ problems in the run game weren’t a matter of scheme but of talent — or lack thereof.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay thinks teams should stay away from Denver’s leading rusher, Javonte Williams, when it comes to free agency
Williams was a second round pick (No. 35 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft and just played the final season of the 4-year, $$8.86 million contract he signed as a rookie.
While Williams led the Broncos in rushing for the second consecutive season with 513 rushing yards, he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and it was actually a big step back from 2023, when he led the team with 774 rushing yards but still averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
“… Teams should be wary of valuing Williams as a high-level starter,” Kay wrote. “While he flashed promise as a rookie in 2021, he suffered a torn ACL the following season and hasn’t been a consistent ball-carrier since. Williams averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in 2023 and 3.7 yards per carry in 2024. His lack of rushing production can’t be blamed on his supporting cast either, as fellow running back Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estimé both topped 4.0 yards per carry this season.”
Williams Projected to Draw Big Money as FA
Despite Williams’ struggles in Denver, he’s still projected to draw big money in free agency. Spotrac currently has his market value projected at a 3-year, $20.5 million contract — approximately $6.9 million per season.
Williams would be smart to cash in on that type of money if a team is willing to offer him that type of deal. The Broncos definitely never got the type of return on investment they made in Williams — Denver hasn’t had a running back cross the 1,000-yard mark in a single season since Phillip Lindsay in 2019.
The failing of Williams and the run game were even more pronounced after the Broncos’ passing game came to life with rookie quarterback Bo Nix and veteran Courtland Sutton, who became the first 1,000-yard receiver for the Broncos since 2019 — the last time Sutton passed the mark.
On an even higher level, the Bronco haven’t had an NFL All-Pro running back in almost 30 years — since Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis made it 3 consecutive seasons from 1996 to 1998.
Broncos Urged to Draft Running Back in ’25
There’s a good chance the Broncos take a running back in the 2025 NFL draft, and if you did an informal poll of Denver fans the player they’re most likely to point to as their dream running back would be Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty was the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2024 as he led the Broncos to the College Football Playoff for the first time. He came close to breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging an incredible 7.1 yards per carry.
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NFL Teams Warned Against Signing Broncos’ $8 Million RB