The Denver Broncos improved in many key areas from a moribund 2023 season. But their efficiency in the running game was not one of them as Javonte Williams and his fellow backs failed to assert themselves.
The Broncos averaged 4.1 yards per carry in 2024 after averaging 4.0 in 2023, ranking 21st in both seasons.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak Predicts the Broncos will add a new lead back in free agency.
“Denver will start to elevate their offense at running back, where their rotation has been lacking a reliable grinder who can handle 15-plus touches per game,” Solak wrote on January 12. “Aaron Jones, should he become available, is an ideal fit on a front-loaded three-year deal. If Jones stays in Minnesota, the Broncos could try to pry Rico Dowdle out of Dallas.”
Dowdle and Jones are two backs at very different stages of their careers. That will factor into their prospects in free agency if they make it there.
Dowdle, 26, rushed for 1,079 yards and 2 touchdowns on 239 carries in his first full season as the Cowboys’ starting running back. He also caught 39 passes for 249 yards and another 3 scores while playing half of the season without starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
A former undrafted free agent, Dowdle is coming off a one-year, $1.2 million contract.
The Cowboys fired head coach Mike McCarthy, and Prescott is coming off a season-ending hamstring injury, creating uncertainty around the entire roster.
Jones, 30, rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards with 5 TDs on 255 carries for the Vikings in the regular season. He had 408 yards and 2 scores more on 51 receptions. He led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2019 and was a Pro Bowler in 2020.
The former Green Bay Packers star signed a one-year, $7 million pact in free agency in 2024.
The Vikings’ future is more uncertain than ever. Starting quarterback – and pending free agent – Sam Darnold struggled in the NFC Wild Card against the Los Angeles Rams.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams: ‘I’ll Be All Right’
GettyJavonte Williams #33 of the Denver Broncos takes the field before playing the Kansas City Chiefs.
Williams led the Bronco’s backfield with seven carries for 29 yards in the Broncos’ 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card. But he is resigned to letting the cards fall where they may when it comes to his future with the Broncos.
“I think about it all the time,” Williams told reports on January 12. “It’s not really too much that I just wonder about. Everything happens for a reason. So however it turn out, I’ll be all right.”
Williams rushed for 513 yards and 4 scores on 139 carries.
He added a 52-346-0 line as a receiver out of the backfield. Williams provided glimpses of the dual-threat back the Broncos drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft. Injuries have sapped his explosiveness, though.
Williams is on an expiring four-year, $8.8 million contract. He averaged 3.7 yards per attempt during the regular season, the second-worst mark of his career.
He posted the third-lowest YPC among all backs with at least 130 carries in 2024, per Stathead.
Tyler Badie Leaves Yards on the Field in Broncos’ Wild Card Loss
GettyTyler Badie #28 of the Denver Broncos takes the field to start the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Second-year back Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime ranked second and third, respectively, on the Broncos in carries and rushing yards in 2024. Estime was inactive against the Bills while McLaughlin had two totes for minus-2 yards.
The Broncos activated third-year back Tyler Badie for the contest. He finished with two carries for 8 yards, but raised some eyebrows with the yards he failed to pick up.
“The most successful run play the #Broncos had all game came on Tyler Badie’s first carry,” Mile High Report’s Ross Allen posted on X on January 13. “They ran Inside Zone Weak out of the I and it’s executed well, and I can see why Badie made the cutback, but if he follows Burton then he might be off to the races.”
Badie, 24, missed all but three games during the regular season.
The Broncos could run it back with the foursome of Badie, Estime, McLaughlin, and Blake Watson to open next season. But an addition could be their best bet for a significant improvement.
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