The Denver Broncos can't deny it any longer: It would be nice to have Javonte Williams back.
Of course, nobody can predict exactly what's going to happen in a given NFL season when it comes to a player bouncing back and other players having injuries, but what makes this one tough is just how unanimous of a decision it seemed to be.
Williams had fallen out of favor late in the 2024 season for the Denver Broncos, to the point that it didn't seem like there was any resistance whatsoever when he hit free agency back in March of the 2025 offseason. Even as a former second-round pick that general manager George Paton traded up to get in his first draft class, there seemed to be no disagreement within the Broncos' front office about letting Williams leave.
Javonte Williams making Broncos regret letting him walk so easily in free agency
It's very interesting to look back at the way things went down in NFL free agency, because the Broncos not only let Javonte Williams walk, but they didn't seem to have the clearest plan when he did.
Williams signed a modest one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, where there was a clear path to the starting role, while the Broncos didn't make any substantial moves at running back until the 2025 NFL Draft. And even in the. Draft, fans were taken aback with a bit of shock at the fact that the Broncos traded down on day two before selecting UCF running back RJ Harvey.
Again, another shocker.
It wasn't until the summer that the Broncos brought in JK Dobbins via free agency, almost admitting that they didn't previously do enough to fortify the position.
Dobbins was a great signing while he was on the field, but he's now out for the season with a Lisfranc injury. Meanwhile, Javonte Williams just crossed yet another career milestone in his first year with the Cowboys. For the first time in his NFL career, Williams has crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He's got nine rushing touchdowns this season (also a career-high), and has a pair of receiving touchdowns on top of that.
At this rate, Williams is well on his way to a 1,400-yard from scrimmage season, and the Broncos are entering Week 14 with major question marks at the running back position. We saw JK Dobbins have success for the Broncos this season, so it's wrong to say that the Broncos just can't make it work no matter the personnel, but the predetermination to let go of Williams might have been a bit short-sighted.
He's averaging 4.8 yards per carry this season, easily the best mark of his career. At nearly 79 rushing yards per game, he's also proving himself to be the bell-cow type of back the Broncos once envisioned.
Hindsight is always 20/20 in the NFL. Letting go of Javonte Williams was almost a unanimously agreed upon decision not just by the Broncos' front office, but also by the fan base at the time. Now, it's looking like a mistake the team would like a mulligan on.