Although many fans were ready to watch running back Javonte Williams walk out the door in free agency, the Denver Broncos weren't exactly happy about it internally. Both head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton shared their respect for Williams and interest in re-signing him at the NFL Combine.
Alas, when the Dallas Cowboys offered Williams $3 million on a one-year deal, the Broncos let him go. While the Broncos are figuring out the best way to retool the running back position in the coming NFL draft, Williams is settling into his new Dallas digs.
In one of his first media exposures since joining the Cowboys, Williams talked about what playing for Payton meant to him.
"Playing for a coach like Payton, it teaches you to be gritty, strong and tough. Those are things I'm bringing to the Cowboys as well," Williams said via Dallas' team website. "There will be ups and downs, but you gotta keep going. And I make plays — run the ball, catch the ball, however it may come... I try to make plays and score touchdowns."
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Indeed, Payton is a tough-nosed coach and can come off as pitiless to the press and fans at times. But he wants what's best for the player because that's what ends up being best for the team, and he'll push his guys.
Williams was no exception. After arriving in Denver as a second-round pick in 2021, he produced an excellent rookie season, rushing for over 900 yards as the team's No. 2 back behind Melvin Gordon.
Becoming a regular star of NFL Network's 'Angry Runs' highlights, Williams' name cache grew, but when he was given the Broncos' starting reins in 2022, it ended in tragedy one month into the season. He suffered a brutal multi-ligament knee injury early in Year 2 — the type that would end the career of many players.
But not Williams. He worked through the injury, returning to the starting lineup (shockingly) in time to open the 2023 regular season under Payton. However, as heartwarming as Williams' quick recovery was, it became clear that he wasn't the same player.
Williams always had a penchant for running into the back of his blocker(s), which is a vision thing. But lacking the pre-injury twitch and explosion, it seemed to become a more prominent aspect of his game over the past two seasons.
Three yards and a cloud of dust. Rinse, repeat.
Cut to 2024, and Williams maintained his spot atop the Broncos' running back depth chart, but the team's rushing offense left much to be desired, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix accounting for a good chunk of the team's production.
The truth is, the Broncos needed to upgrade the running back position, and Williams, as great of a locker room guy as he is, was unlikely to ever be part of the solution. Although, it's worth mentioning that, at the NFL Combine, Paton expressed his belief that Williams was still yet to fully recover from his knee injury even two years later, meaning the Broncos believed he still wasn't back to 100%. That's a hopeful message for the Cowboys.
For some of his faults, Williams was reliable with his ball security, one of the best pass-blocking backs in the NFL, and could catch passes out of the backfield. But as his rushing average dropped, so too did Denver's offensive outlook because he was the starter, after all.
We'll always wonder what could have been for Williams had he not suffered that 2022 injury. It was a football tragedy, but here's to hoping Paton was right and that brighter days are ahead for the former North Carolina stand-out.
