Broncos benching starting running back was short-lived ordeal

The Denver Broncos had seemingly benched starting running back Javonte Williams against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. Williams' snaps and touches decreased dramatically against Kansas City and rookie fifth-round pick Audric Estimé appeared to be in line for more carries from that point forward.

But Sean Payton threw us all a bit of a curveball on Sunday afternoon when the Broncos absolutely thrashed the Atlanta Falcons in Denver -- he had Javonte Williams back out there as his lead ball carrier.

Broncos take Javonte Williams' starting job...only to give it back

Against the Falcons, Williams led the Broncos with nine carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. he also added 28 yards as a receiver on four receptions. There was still a concerted effort to get both Audric Estimé (9 total touches) and Jaleel McLaughlin (4 carries) involved in the offensive gameplan, but it was a drastic turnaround for Williams who was seemingly third in the pecking order against Kansas City.

Williams was carried into the end zone by a host of Denver Broncos offensive players for his third rushing touchdown of the season. Believe it or not, Williams needs just one more rushing touchdown this season to tie his career-best of four back in 2021. Statistically speaking, what we're seeing from Williams this year is pretty on-par with what we saw last season, but that hasn't exactly been good enough.

The Broncos have needed better consistency from the former second-round pick out of North Carolina, and Williams hasn't been the same type of tackle-breaking machine the Broncos drafted.

With that being said, he seems to have a good game at least every two or three times out there, and maybe a quick, short benching against the Kansas City Chiefs was all he needed to jumpstart the rest of the 2024 season.

The Broncos didn't make any moves to acquire players at the trade deadline, so getting better production than we had seen out of Javonte Williams is absolutely essential. And it's even more crucial for Williams himself. As of right now, I would take a wild guess that the chances of Williams coming back to Denver in 2025 are less than 50 percent. Although he now has two years of experience in the offense, I could definitely see the Broncos moving on and Williams seeking a fresh start elsewhere.

With that being said, what Williams puts on tape over these final six games will be critical for the Denver Broncos at present and his own personal future.