Las Vegas Raiders: Ranking the running back rooms in the AFC West
By Jason Willis
Las Vegas Raiders: Ranking the running back rooms in the AFC West
4. Denver Broncos
- Projected Starter: Javonte Williams
After a dominant career at the University of North Carolina, Javonte Williams parlayed that into a productive rookie season where he had over 1,222 all-purpose yards. As such, he was expected to take over as the starter in Denver's backfield in 2023.
Unfortunately, his season was cut short after just four games he suffered a brutal injury against the Raiders in which he tore all of his ACL, MCL and PCL and finished with just 204 rushing yards in four games.
Next season, the strength of the Denver backfield will hinge on Williams ability to recover from his knee injury. If he is not yet ready to reclaim a full-time role, the team signed former Cincinnati Bengal Samaje Perine in the off-season.
While he only started two games last season, Perine recorded 681 yards from scrimmage for the Bengals. Behind him, The team currently has Tony Jones. The former New Orleans Saints back, he has just 179 career rushing yards in his career.
If Williams is able to regain his prior form, the Broncos could sky-rocket up this list. After all, his talent in the position is among the best in the league, however, it could take some time for him to adjust. Unfortunately, there is a chance the injury has permanently sapped some of his explosiveness.