Sean Payton Teases Big Workload for Broncos' RB Duo in Week 1

Get ready for a healthy dose of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton sounded like a kid on Christmas Eve when he spoke with reporters on Friday. Being able to finally unleash the talent he's both inherited and assembled provides Payton with the kind of buzz that led him back into coaching in the first place.

In particular, running back Javonte Williams’s spectacular return from a multi-ligament knee injury provides Payton with a dynamic offensive weapon. It's an ace card he's looking forward to flipping over.

That being said, Williams is not the only runner Payton is relishing the prospect of setting loose against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Throw in free-agent arrival Samaje Perine. 

“It’ll be good,” Payton said on Friday. “I told him and Perine both, ‘I’m anxious to see you guys run.’ They’ve gotten a lot of work, and yet, both of them are new to me. As we’re going through goal line and short yardage, someone’s going to get those reps. Those two will be very active in the game.”

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Williams' recovery from a catastrophic knee injury has been remarkable and inspirational. Some credit for Williams' near-miraculous recovery must also go to Payton and the Broncos' medical staff for providing just the right amount of slack to get the 23-year-old playmaker back in the groove in time for the big Week 1 kickoff.

All the methodical preparation work put in this offseason has led to the real acid test this Sunday. Make no bones about it, putting the pads back on and slamming headlong into the Raiders defense presents a whole new challenge, but it's one Williams is fully relishing.

"It's hard to simulate the game," Williams said this week. "You can probably get used to it in practice after probably a week or something, but the game is always different. You never know what is going to happen. It's not scripted, things like that, so it's really read and react."

Payton’s old-school approach means his running back unit is deep, and it also incorporates a diverse set of interchangeable skill sets. Undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin was a bright spot throughout the preseason — to such an extent that Payton might feel comfortable enough to give him a few snaps off the bat.

It would mean eating into the workload that would have traditionally been allocated to Williams, the team's RB1, but as far as he is concerned, just being back out there means he's going to make the most out of the touches he's given by the coaching staff.

"I don't really know how many plays I'm going to get," Williams said. "I'm just going to make it count."

Working a pitch count might only become a short-term insurance policy, especially until Williams gets his sea legs back underneath him. In the final analysis, Payton’s desire to improve the overall depth of the Broncos' running back room should mean everyone gets their fair share — not a bad idea over the grueling 17-game NFL season.

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