The Denver Broncos are going to be a trendy pick to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season after they acquired Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Denver has been looking for a quarterback to help them get back to that level since Peyton Manning retired and Wilson will help them achieve that goal.
Everyone on the offense is in line for a breakout season. There is an intriguing group of pass-catchers with wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler. Wilson is a major upgrade on Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, the starters from last season, and they will all benefit.
However, the player that could be in for the biggest breakout of the 2022 season is running back Javonte Williams. Williams split touches in the backfield last season with veteran Melvin Gordon, who is a free agent and hasn’t signed with a team yet.
There is still a chance that Gordon returns to Denver, but this should be Williams’ backfield going forward. He had a strong rookie season, showcasing an every-down skillset as he is as dangerous carrying the ball as he is as a pass-catcher.
Williams rushed for 903 yards and four touchdowns, catching 43 passes for 316 yards and three more scores. Those are impressive stats for anyone splitting reps, let alone a rookie. Seemingly every time the ball was in his hands, he was creating extra yardage as he was very difficult to bring down.
Just how difficult was Williams to tackle last season? According to PFF, he forced 63 missed tackles which were the most by a Broncos running back since 2006. He also led the league with 0.31 forced missed tackles per attempt in 2021.
Making defenders miss is nothing new for Williams, who was a record holder in the same category collegiately. He found a lot of success in 2021 and should continue finding it in his sophomore season.
With Wilson now leading the offense, teams won’t be able to stack the box against the Broncos nearly as often. As long as another running back isn’t added to the mix, Williams handling a lead back role should lead to some incredible production this upcoming season. That is great news for Broncos fans, but awful news for anyone rooting for teams that will be trying to slow him down.
