Why Broncos RB Javonte Williams will explode in production in 2024

For Denver Broncos RB Javonte Williams, his main focus as of now is fully recovering from his gruesome knee injury suffered in week 4 of the 2022 season against the foe Las Vegas Raiders and getting back to 100%. However, as we enter the official start of training camp, Williams has shown no signs of slowing down in his recovery and has been healing at an all-time pace that we have yet to see from any NFL RB in history, besides perhaps Vikings legend Adrian Peterson.

From everything that I have heard and seen, Williams looked excellent with his knee brace on at Broncos OTAs and minicamp and was cutting off of his injured knee which is always a very encouraging sign towards a quicker recovery. As of now, it appears it may take a bit of time into the 2023 season for Williams to get back to his full capability on the field and be able to absorb enormous hits like he was able to a year ago. However, it is still expected Williams does suit up for the season opener as he has been planning for since around April and May of this year.

With 2023 expected to be a bridge year, I am still expecting over 1,000 total yards for Javonte Williams and that is just a bridge season for him. With his ability after contact and a growing vision of the field that he is still beginning to progress, Williams is only going to find himself getting better as an overall RB in his prime. Even with an injury suffered less than 12 months ago, Williams is not built like your average RB and has shown that by his ridiculous time frame of recovery and already running crisp wheel routes in practice as if it is nothing.

That being said, with 2023 being considered a "bridge" season for Williams, I think it is a very fair assessment to say he will be a serious threat to defenses in 2024. Not only will his production skyrocket due to having more time healed from his knee injury (barring any unforeseen circumstances) but he will be on a contract year where he will undoubtedly need to prove himself and we all are aware of how the RB position has been disrespected as of late. Being a RB in the NFL, you have to work twice as hard to earn yourself a big payday and even then, it seems unlikely that a team will extend their franchise back. It's simply the unfortunate business of the league.

Therefore, with Williams having such an elite skillset at the young age of 23 years old, he will need to separate himself from other elite, premiere RBs in the NFL in order to give himself his best shot at a contract extension from GM George Paton. It may seem a bit far-fetched considering how Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Raiders RB Josh Jacobs are currently being treated by their respective GMs however, only time will tell and Williams is completely and utterly aware of what will need to be done on the field in order to earn his money.

Coming off multiple torn ligaments in his knee, the expectations will not be super high for Williams however, he will be looking to be a problem for run defenses, as he always has been when healthy. The 2024 season will be quite the sight to see for Broncos fans when watching Williams explode in production but do not rule out a resurgence in 2023 just yet. Don't be surprised if he cements himself into the top 5 conversation in the coming years.