5 Denver Broncos on the hot seat entering Week 18

2. Javonte Williams, RB

We need to give some grace to Javonte Williams, who has played all season in his first year back from a major knee injury in 2022. Williams suffered a scary injury early last season and made somewhat of a miraculous comeback in 2023. He hasn't missed really any time, nothing significant, but as admirable as his comeback has been, it's been tough sledding for Williams throughout this season.

Williams's calling card is creating yardage after contact, and that has been virtually non-existent in 2023. He's 78 yards under expected, according to Next Gen Stats, which is the 6th-worst figure among running backs. His rushing yards after contact per attempt was a solid 2.3 in his first two NFL seasons and is down to 1.6 in 2023. He had 31 broken tackles on 203 rushing attempts in his rookie year and he has 9 broken tackles on 208 attempts in 2023.

Simply put, Javonte Williams hasn't been good enough to justify being RB1 going into next year. And he's on the hot seat in Week 18, at least in my estimation.

3. Jerry Jeudy, WR

I think the Denver Broncos desperately want Jerry Jeudy to be a factor in the team's plans going forward. They see his talent, they see his explosiveness after the catch, and they see how he can play and be effective whether he's lined up inside the slot, outside, whether he's being sent in motion, whether he's challenging the defense vertically, etc.

I think the Broncos' Week 18 matchup is going to be huge for Jeudy, who is likely to get more designed touches just like we saw in Week 17. It's crucial for him to make a good impression going into the offseason.