The Denver Broncos have one of the best rosters in the NFL, but that does not mean every position is solidified. If the 2025 told Broncos fans anything, it's that the team is quite close to advancing to a Super Bowl, but also that there are some key positions that have to be improved this offseason.
The team's needs on the offensive side of the ball are quite obvious, and we've talked about those needs a billion times here. The most urgent need has to be running back, as the run game is how games in the NFL are won and lost.
Last offseason, the Broncos reworked their running back room, allowing Javonte Williams to sign with the Dallas Cowboys and replacing him with J.K. Dobbins. While Dobbins got hurt after 10 games, Williams ran his way to over 1,200 yards and a healthy extension from the Dallas Cowboys.
Javonte Williams ran his way into an extension from the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys and Williams are in agreement on a three-year deal worth $24 million, keeping the running back with the team through the 2028 NFL Season. Williams just wrapped up his fifth year in the NFL and was still just in his age-25 season.
In 2025 with the Cowboys, Williams ran for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. He did this in 16 games, averaging 75.1 yards per game and a solid 4.8 yards per carry. In his four years with the Denver Broncos, Williams ran for just 2,394 yards on a limp 4.0 yards per tote.
In his rookie season, Williams shared the backfield with former running back Melvin Gordon and put up a solid 903 yards on 4.4 yards per carry. At that point, it felt like Denver had someone special at the position.
But a season-ending knee injury cut his 2022 season short after just four games, and in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Williams averaged 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry, failing to hit 775 yards in either season.
So of course, the first year he leaves the Broncos, he puts up a top-5 season at the position and earns a payday. Williams bet on himself with a one-year deal for the 2025 season, and it worked, reminding the Broncos why they messed up by letting him leave the building.
The Cowboys have a solution with their run game, but the Broncos do not. Not only did Denver bring Dobbins into the mix, but they also used a second-round pick on RJ Harvey in the 2025 NFL Draft. Harvey just did not display much consistency as a down-to-down running back, and it really hurt the entire offensive operation.
The Broncos clearly didn't make the right moves last offseason after letting Williams leave in free agency, and now the front office will be doing more work at the position to ensure what happened in 2025 does not happen in 2026.