The Denver Broncos have remade their running back room, and one of their former backs is somehow projected to breakout in 2025.
For years, the Broncos have had subpar running back play - and in 2024, things really fell off the rails, honestly. It got so bad that Denver started to use Marvin Mims Jr as an extension of the run game - Mims is the Broncos fastest player and is also quite agile, so he excels at making people miss and was a de-facto running back near the end of the season.
In the 2025 offseason, the Broncos let Javonte Williams walk, signed JK Dobbins, and used a second-round pick on RJ Harvey in the 2025 NFL Draft. On paper, this RB room is as good as it as been for years now. Williams signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys and actually could be in line to be their starter in 2025.
And somehow, Williams was actually just named to a very flattering list for the coming season.
Javonte Williams named to shocking breakout list for 2025
The former Broncos running back was named to a list of five running backs in the best position to breakout in 2025:
"Javonte Williams is the only player on this list who will suit up for his second team in 2025. He could have a career year with the Dallas Cowboys after his production tailed off over the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos.Moe Moton
Williams racked up 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2021, both of which are his high-water mark to date. In the following season, he tore his ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner. Over the last two years, he's averaged less than 3.8 yards per carry.
Now that he's multiple years removed from that injury, Williams can claim the lead position in the Cowboys' wide-open backfield competition and show flashes of the player who accumulated 1,200-plus scrimmage yards before the injuries."
Javonte Williams did seem to be on pace to turn into the NFL's next great running back following a productive rookie season sharing the backfield with Melvin Gordon, but that knee injury at the beginning of the 2022 NFL Season has really thrown his career path off thus far.
Still only set to play in his age-25 season, Williams could bounce back and perhaps become more efficient on the ground, but we are now approaching three years removed from the injury, so one has to figure that if he does not figure it out in 2025, he may never. If nothing else, the former Broncos running back is very good in pass protection, so he'll always have work, but him being named to a breakout list in 2025 is honestly hilarious.
As a runner, Javonte Williams was bad for the Denver Broncos in 2023 and 2024. He's not a good running back and may have one last shot in the NFL to emerge as a starter. Some folks seem to be high on him for the coming season.