As the Denver Broncos wrapped up their June minicamp on Thursday, one of the stories coming out of that camp centered around running back Javonte Williams and his status on the roster. That talk started brewing after Cecil Lammey of Denver Sports made a remark questioning if he would even make the team.
That has led others to ask about his status and whether or not he could be sitting on the roster bubble.
Things started so well for Williams in his career in Denver, how could they be going south so quickly? Most of the argument in favor of letting Williams walk will start and end with how he has not been the same player since a crushing knee injury in 2022.
Williams ran at a much more pedestrian level in 2023, but would the Broncos move on from him? No, and here is why they won't.
Denver Broncos won't cut Javonte Williams in 2024
That sounds like a bold statement to make in June with all of the doubt surrounding Williams, but much of that doubt may be completely created by the media and not at all shared within the organization.
The Broncos have a young running back group for fans to get excited about, but the key word there is young. Head coach Sean Payton has historically been a coach who doesn't place too much at the feet of rookie players... at any position.
This isn’t being reported, it’s simply opinions from Broncos beat writers
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) June 14, 2024
That said, the Broncos didn’t draft a Javonte Williams clone in Audric Estime for no reason
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Jaleel McLaughlin get 50% of the snaps on a weekly basis this season https://t.co/xc8HUsqYax
Even if Jaleel McLaughlin looks as good as suggested in his second year in the league, there is not a great amount of depth behind him. And while I am as big on the potential of fifth-round pick Audric Estime and undrafted free agent Blake Watson as anyone, a backfield of McLaughlin, Estime, and Watson, even with Samaje Perine thrown in, goes against what Payton has always done.
On top of that, there is a real chance that the Broncos open Week 1 with a rookie at the quarterback position. Does it make any sense for Payton to throw him out there with rookies and a second-year guy around him?
Williams may never look like the bowling ball who was carrying defenders for extra yardage as a rookie again, but it is still way too early to give up on the 24-year-old running back. It's also possible that Williams needed an entire season plus this offseason to regain his form following his knee injury.
The Broncos won't give up on Williams and fans should not either. Any talk of him being released or on the roster bubble is a bit ridiculous. He will be on the team this season.
