Sean Payton found himself watching running back film one day during the leadup to the 2024 NFL Draft.
He had a running back from North Carolina on-screen that he really liked. Powerful runner. Capable of breaking tackles. A pretty decent receiver even though he didn’t get a ton of targets in the passing game.
The guy averaged 7.3 yards per carry his junior year and 6.3 per carry for his career.
Payton and the Broncos, though, didn’t select him in April’s draft.
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Turns out, they already had the player on their roster for the last three years.
Now it looks like they might have the best version of the player back on the field.
That’s Javonte Williams.
In a moment undoubtedly orchestrated by Payton, Williams stopped by to see the head coach at one point this spring while Payton had his college film on.
“It was kind of crazy seeing me in a North Carolina jersey and him watching that, but like I said, he knows what he’s talking about, so I’m going to listen,” Williams said.
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The order: Trim up. Get back to the guy in the powder blues.
So Williams spent the summer cutting out snacks and nighttime eating, dropped 12 pounds to get down to 221, and showed up for training camp feeling lean and strong.
“I called him in and I said, ‘This is the runner I want,’” Payton said. “That player that I saw was versatile — outside, inside — and I think we’ve seen that from him in camp. I’m encouraged with his progress, and obviously, he’s healthier.
“He’s having a good camp.”
Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) participates in drills during camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit in Englewood, Colorado Thursday, Aug. 08, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
The fourth-year running back is entering a critical season in his career. The shelf life on NFL backs is notoriously short and seems to get shorter every year. Not only that, but Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is now closing in on two full years since a devastating knee injury against Las Vegas on Oct. 4, 2022.
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That not only ended his second pro season, but it also impacted his entire third year. He spent all of last offseason focused on recovery and pushing hard just to get back to the field.
“Last year’s offseason was pretty much just rehabbing and trying to regain strength,” he said. “Even trying to learn how to run again and things like that. This offseason, just being able to get away and focus strictly on football, drills, and moving.
“I feel like it was a huge benefit.”
Factor in a veteran offensive line, potentially a mobile quarterback in rookie Bo Nix and a set of running backs that overall has a combination of skill sets, and Williams should be at the tip of a running game spear that’s much sharper than a year ago.
One key area where the shed pounds and increased explosiveness could really help Williams: In the passing game.
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Consider this: Williams had a career-high 47 catches in 2023. If it feels as though that flew under the radar, it’s in part because he turned those grabs into just 228 yards (4.9 per catch). According to Pro Football Focus data, only four of his catches and six targets out of 58 came past the line of scrimmage and outside the numbers. The rest were either behind the line of scrimmage, between the numbers, or both. When he catches the ball, there will be people around him and often in front of him.
Getting some burst back and trending back toward his early career ability to break tackles and make people miss could turn modest receiving numbers into solid ones very quickly.
The Broncos easily led the NFL in target share to running backs (31.9%) last year. And though quarterback Russell Wilson is gone, it stands to reason that the backs will be heavily involved in the passing game once again this fall.
Payton has a long history of it. Over 14 seasons in New Orleans — taking out an injury-scrambled 2010 — the back with the second-most touches on Payton’s Saints teams averaged 155 per year. He had nine seasons where a back finished with 70-plus catches. And though there may not be an Alvin Kamara on the Broncos’ roster, they have the kind of balance to meet or exceed last year when Williams (No. 17), Samaje Perine (No. 18) and Jaleel McLaughlin (No. 39) each finished in the top 39 in the NFL in targets among running backs.
2023 Broncos RBs in the passing game
Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.
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Player
RB Rank
Target
Catches
Yards
Javonte Williams
17
58
47
228
Samaje Perine
18
56
50
455
Jaleel McLaughlin
39
36
31
160
* Pro Football Reference data
2023 RB target share by team
Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.
Top fives
RB/FB target share
Denver
31.89%
San Francisco
23.57%
Atlanta
23.56%
N.Y. Jets
23.56%
Pittsburgh
23.13%
Bottom five
RB/FB target share
Minnesota
14.92%
L.A. Chargers
14.84%
Indianapolis
14.73%
Jacksonville
14.14%
L.A. Rams
12.84%
* Compiled using PFF data
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Cold and blustery with light snow for Denver metro area Thursday
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Cold and blustery with light snow for Denver metro area Thursday
03:12
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Thursday morning’s snow was causing some difficulties for drivers across the Denver metro area. Snow started falling early in the morning and according to CBS Colorado’s First Alert meteorologists, the system could bring roughly 1-3 inches of snow to areas south and east of Denver.
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The Commerce City Police Department posted a picture on its Facebook page of the aftermath of a vehicle and a semi crash. The crash had closed both directions of 96th Avenue at Dunkirk. It was unclear when the crash would be cleared.
A truck and a semi crashed at 96th Avenue and Dunkirk on Thursday morning.
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Commerce City Police
Drivers were urged to take an alternate route.
Police posted, “Slow down. There’s blowing snow that’s obstructing your vision and ice on the roads that’s making your commute dangerous. If your boss has been out this morning, they know you may be a little late today.”
It was a blustery morning in downtown Elizabeth along Hwy 86 through town.
CBS
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In Elizabeth, it was a blustery morning in downtown as well as on and along Hwy 86 through town.
CBS Colorado called for a First Alert Weather Day on Thursday as wind gusts 30 to 40 mph are possible throughout the day not only causing blowing and drifting snow but also making it feel much colder.
Jennifer McRae
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Jennifer McRae is a digital media producer for CBS Colorado with more than 25 years of experience in news. Jennifer is part of the digital team recognized for excellence for Best Website several times by the Colorado Broadcasters Association.
Brooklyn Nets (13-24, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (21-15, fourth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn heads into the matchup against Denver after losing three games in a row.
The Nuggets have gone 11-7 in home games. Denver averages 13.6 turnovers per game and is 8-5 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents.
The Nets are 8-12 on the road. Brooklyn has a 3-15 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Nuggets average 12.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.6 fewer makes per game than the Nets allow (13.6). The Nets are shooting 44.8% from the field, 1.8% lower than the 46.6% the Nuggets’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Jokic is averaging 31.5 points, 13 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.7 steals for the Nuggets.
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Cameron Johnson is scoring 19.5 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Nets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 122.1 points, 45.2 rebounds, 32.1 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.6 points per game.
Nets: 2-8, averaging 100.5 points, 42.4 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.7 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Spencer Jones: day to day (thigh), Nikola Jokic: day to day (illness), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Nets: Cam Thomas: out (hamstring), Bojan Bogdanovic: day to day (foot), Dariq Whitehead: day to day (concussion), Ben Simmons: day to day (calf), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (calf), Trendon Watford: out (hamstring), Maxwell Lewis: out (leg), De’Anthony Melton: out for season (acl), Day’Ron Sharpe: day to day (illness), Cameron Johnson: out (ankle).
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___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Broncos’ route to their first playoff berth since 2015 took them through highs and lows from coast to coast. They lost in Seattle and won in Tampa. They spent a week in West Virginia and played Thursday night on the road twice.
They ripped through Sean Payton’s old division, sweeping four games against the NFC South.
They won three or more straight twice, lost back-to-back twice and ultimately clinched a spot in the AFC Wild Card round on the final day of the regular season.
Along the way, Bo Nix and company turned a low-expectation season into a 10-win success story. Here are the 10 moments that defined the run.
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1. Bo breaks out
Bo Nix (10) of the Denver Broncos throws against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of the Broncos’ 26-7 win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Week 3 at Tampa Bay
The Broncos set out on a two-game East Coast swing with an 0-2 record and a rookie quarterback who’d thrown four interceptions without a touchdown in his first two starts. Instead of trying to break him in slowly against a solid Tampa Bay team, though, Sean Payton got aggressive. Nix zipped the Broncos down the field by completing four passes for 70 yards and then scoring on a 3-yard run. Denver’s defense snuffed Baker Mayfield and company and the Broncos rolled to a 26-7 win — their first of the season. Not only that, but they got a glimpse of what their young quarterback could do when in rhythm.
2. Hurricane hunters
Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke (6) sacks New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on 4th and 10 late in the 4th quarter at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 29, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Week 4 at New York Jets
The Broncos spent the work week following Tampa Bay at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. Despite some trepidation about the trip beforehand, Broncos players now look back on it as a galvanizing week for a team still figuring out its identity. Of course, they had some rigmarole, too. The remnants of Hurricane Helene marred the practice week and forced the team onto indoor tennis courts for its Friday practice. That hardly mattered for Vance Joseph’s group, which dominated Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets that weekend. Nix might have had minus-7 passing yards in the first half, but the defense ensured it didn’t matter. Biggest play of the game: A fourth-and-10 sack of Rodgers by P.J. Locke off the edge. It was a moment when Denver realized it might just have something special brewing.
3. Pick-six Pat
Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) intercepts a pass for a 100 yard touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Bart Young)
Week 5 vs. Las Vegas
All of the good vibes the Broncos found in John Denver country looked like it might go for naught back home against the Raiders. Nix threw an early pick, Denver started slow and was on the verge of falling behind 17-3 when All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II made one of the signature plays of the season. He snatched a Gardner Minshew overthrow and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. Instead of a 14-point hole, the Broncos pulled even with Las Vegas. By the end, Minshew was benched and Denver rolled to a 34-17 win. It put an embarrassing, eight-game losing streak to the Raiders to bed and showed Denver had toughness and resilience.
4. Sean smashes the past
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks off the field after the second half of the Broncos’ 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Week 7 at New Orleans
It’s not that Payton didn’t seem happy to be in Denver before this game, but something clicked for him when he took the Broncos to New Orleans for his homecoming bout against the Saints. After Denver smashed the Saints, 33-10, Payton gave perhaps his most introspective public comments since he got the Broncos job. “I’m glad I’m here,” he said, referring to his current employer. There was something cathartic about the win — players knew it meant a lot to their coach — and of course, it mattered in the scorebook, too. It put the Broncos back above water at 4-3 and sent them into a mini-bye week on a positive note.
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5. OLB future set
Jonathon Cooper (0) of the Denver Broncos prepares before the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 3, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Week 9 at Baltimore
The Broncos only made one move at the trade deadline and it was to send Baron Browning to Arizona despite a 5-4 record. They had more than just the one move in mind, though. Denver the day before their game at Baltimore agreed to a four-year contract extension with OLB Jonathon Cooper, finalizing a choice of direction for the future on the edge.
The solidification of Cooper as a building block coincided with Nik Bonitto’s rise. He entered that week with sacks in six straight games and, though the streak ended against the Ravens, he then went five more games after with at least a half sack. The group entered the season with question marks. Now it looks like a long-term strong spot. That got set in stone with this pair of moves.
6. Progress blocked
Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz (3) chases after the ball after his last-second field goal attempt was blocked during the second half of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Week 10 at Kansas City
Nix and the Broncos offense authored a defining moment of the season when they drove into position to beat Kansas City in the waning seconds at Arrowhead Stadium. Disaster followed. Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal was blocked when the Chiefs caved in the left side of Denver’s protection unit — an issue that had been bubbling for weeks — and stole a win in the process. The Broncos’ postgame locker room was as devastated as you’ll find in the regular season. Denver players vowed to make sure the moment didn’t break their spirits, and indeed from there the group mounted a four-game winning streak to get from 5-5 to 9-5.
7. A helping heave
Javonte Williams (33) of the Denver Broncos celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Nov. 17, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Week 11 vs. Atlanta
Perhaps no moment captures how the Broncos rebounded from that crusher in Kansas City better than Javonte Williams’ touchdown “run” against the Falcons the next week. Quotation marks because, of course, Williams didn’t actually run into the end zone. He thumped former Denver stalwart Justin Simmons at about the 4-yard line, pushed him toward the goal line and then hung on while several teammates joined the scrum and literally carried him into the end zone. “That’s a culture play right there,” defensive tackle Malcolm Roach said after his team polished off a 38-6 whooping of the Falcons in which Nix threw for 304 yards and four TDs.
8. Marvelous Marvin
Marvin Mims Jr. (19) of the Denver Broncos catches a pass from Bo Nix (10) before taking it to the end zone during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Dec. 2, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Week 13 vs. Cleveland
Marvin Mims Jr.’s resurgence in Denver’s offense had already begun before the Broncos started a wild, back-and-forth Monday night shootout against the Browns. But he made the single-biggest play of his season so far in the second half. Mims trucked up the seam and hauled in a perfect ball from Nix before racing to a 93-yard touchdown. It only temporarily put Denver up two scores — old friend Jerry Jeudy quickly responded with a 70-yard touchdown — but it served two purposes: The Broncos found a down-the-field option and Mims got uncorked for what has turned into a highly productive stretch run.
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9. Casa Bonitto
Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) intercepts the ball for a touchdown in the forth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts during a game on Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver. (AP Photo/Bart Young)
Week 15 vs. Indianapolis
The Broncos’ third-year outside linebacker was already in the midst of a breakout season, but he turned the dial up in December. Bonitto ran an interception back for a touchdown against Cleveland and then made the play of his season against the Colts. He read an attempted trick play, snatched a lateral at midfield and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown. It was part of a scoring blitz that turned a near two-score deficit — thank you Jonathan Taylor — into a comfortable lead and critical victory for the team’s playoff hopes. Bonitto’s 13.5 sacks are accentuated by two touchdowns and several late-game, closer-type plays. This one was all of the above.
10. Clinching time
Week 18 vs. Kansas City
The Broncos missed on two chances to clinch, blowing a 21-10 lead against the Los Angeles Chargers and falling in overtime at Cincinnati. That left just the finale against the Chiefs to get the job done. They caught a break when Andy Reid’s team already had the No. 1 seed wrapped up and sat more than a dozen key players, but they also made sure that break didn’t go begging. Nix threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns, the defense held Carson Wentz and the Kansas City offense to 97 total yards and the Empower Field crowd partied and celebrated a long-awaited return to the postseason.
Marvin Mims Jr. (19) of the Denver Broncos celebrates his second receiving touchdown of the day with Courtland Sutton (14) and Devaughn Vele (17) during the third quarter of the Broncos’ 38-0 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Jan. 5, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
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