Broncos Need to Phase Out Javonte Williams in Favor of Audric Estime

Denver Broncos Javonte Williams has been painfully ineffective the last month of the season.

Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (23) hurdles over Atlanta Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos' ground game has been hit or miss, mostly miss, through their first 13 games. Their rushing attack is 21st in the NFL at 111.2 yards per game.

If you take out Bo Nix’s production, 304 yards, and four touchdowns, Denver’s numbers drop to 27th in total yards with 1,145 and six scores.

The running back room has been woefully inconsistent, sometimes due to play calling, but primarily due to Javonte Williams getting the bulk of touches, 124 attempts.

Rookie Audric Estime has seen very few snaps with 41 attempts despite showing flashes of being the lead back, and that needs to change fast.

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Williams’s explosiveness has been sapped by the devastating knee injury he suffered back in 2022, and it's painfully evident on game day. He’s just not blasting through defenders like the battering ram he was drafted to be, and his subpar vision holds him back even more.

Williams can’t ever seem to hit the hole, but rather, the back of his offensive line, leading to an abysmal 3.6 yards per carry. As disappointing as it is, he must be relegated to the 2023 Samaje Perine role of third-down pass blocking and occasionally catching passes.

The juice just isn’t present anymore. 

To be fair, it looks as if head coach Sean Payton agrees. Williams has just 22 carries for 59 yards the last four games. However, throw out his 59-yard effort against a Charmin-soft Atlanta Falcons defense, and Williams has 13 carries for 0 yards in the other three games.

It may be a dwindling role, but Estime still has just six-combined carries in the last-two games.

Estime averages 4.7 yards a carry, and while it’s a small sample size, only having 41 attempts, his flashes thus far are very encouraging. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Estime had his best game with 14 carries for 53 yards.

That's not a huge total, but he sparked a limp second-half Denver offense against the league's No. 3 rush defense. Although they ultimately lost, there was much optimism about increasing his touches.

However, Sean Payton still seems to favor Williams, as he received 21 carries to Estime’s 12 over the next three games. Estime mirrors much of Williams’s style with hard-nosed running but with better vision and less tread on his tires, so it’s a mystery why his snaps are so limited.

He was drafted to be Williams's successor, but the Broncos haven’t let go yet. 

Payton may have put Estime in the doghouse for his fumbles, much like Marvin Mims a season ago, but he and Williams have both coughed up the ball twice.

It could be that Payton is saving his rookie back while the veteran gets more mileage before they kick him to the curb at season's end, he just doesn’t trust him yet or just seniority.

Whatever the reason, the production of Williams doesn’t justify him taking more snaps. The Broncos must see what they’ve got in Audric Estime with the playoffs in sight. Denver won’t last long without a viable run game in the postseason. 

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