Tag: Javonte Williams

ESPN suggests Broncos could trade for pass-catching running back

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes the Broncos could target a pass-catching running back ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

The Denver Broncos traded pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, and more moves could be on the way.

Broncos backup quarterback Zach Wilson and tight end Greg Dulcich will be names to watch leading up to the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Denver could also add a player ahead of the deadline.

“It wouldn’t shock to see the Broncos comb the market for a pass-catching running back,” Fowler wrote on ESPN.com. “Coach Sean Payton has always coveted those change-of-pace backs, which harks back to the Darren Sproles days.”

The idea of Payton wanting a receiving back is certainly plausible, but it’s hard to imagine there being room for another RB in Denver’s offense. Payton has repeatedly said this season that it’s hard to feature more than two RBs.

Javonte Williams remains the team’s workhorse back and Jaleel McLaughlin has been the change-of-pace back. Audric Estime got a career-high five carries on Sunday and Tyler Badie could return from a back injury at some point this season.

If Payton does bring in a running back, he might have to ship out a current RB to make room. We’ll track any potential moves on Broncos Wire.

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Ravens vs. Broncos: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-10 win in Week 9

Top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 9 at M&T Bank Stadium

Denver entered the game 5-3 with the NFL’s third-ranked defense, but the Baltimore offense shredded them, as Vance Joseph’s defense surrendered 396 yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon.

The Ravens are 6-3 after a 41-10 win over the emerging Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium.

Here are the top photos from the win.

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Lamar Jackson finished with perfect passer rating as Ravens demolish Broncos 41-10

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson finished with a perfect passer rating in Week 10 as the Ravens defeated the Broncos 41-10

The Ravens spent all week talking about removing the taste of an ugly loss to the Browns in Week 8. John Harbaugh’s team responded solidly, dominating the upstart Broncos 41-10 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Denver entered the game 5-3 with the NFL’s third-ranked defense, but the Baltimore offense shredded them, as Vance Joseph’s defense surrendered 396 yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon.

With talk about Josh Allen potentially winning MVP, Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, marking his fourth perfect passer rating.

Derrick Henry finished with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns, moving past Barry Sanders for 10th on the all-time touchdowns list and going over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in his career.

Zay Flowers had another 100-yard game, finishing with 127 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

On defense, Zach Orr’s unit surrendered 319 yards, including 197 passing and, most importantly, just ten points.

Baltimore will now prepare for Cincinnati on a short week and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football.

8 players Broncos could trade away before NFL trade deadline

Should the Broncos consider trading any of these players before the NFL’s deadline?

The NFL trade deadline (Nov. 5) is less than a week away and with multiple trades already completed, there have been some rumblings that the Denver Broncos could get involved in the action.

We have been focused on several outside players the Broncos could bring in, but today we’re turning our attention to players that Denver could ship out.

We’ve put together a quick list of eight players the Broncos could entertain trading away before the deadline.

Of note, NFL Network has reported that teams could call about pass rusher Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos seem very unlikely to trade him, so we did not include Cooper on our list.

Players Broncos could trade before deadline

1. RB Javonte Williams: He is the team’s best blocking back and Audric Estime has had some struggles with fumbles, so Denver might not be ready to move on from Williams just yet. He’s set to become a free agent next year, though, so the Broncos could perhaps send him to a team like the Cowboys in exchange for a draft pick.

2. OT Mike McGlinchey: His contract could complicate a potential trade, but McGlinchey has suddenly become expendable following the emergency of Alex Palczewski. Denver might prefer to make this kind of move during the offseason, though.

3. DL D.J. Jones: With Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers playing so well and Malcolm Roach rotating in, the Broncos might thinking about trading Jones before he hits free agency in 2025.

4. WR Courtland Sutton: He is Bo Nix’s favorite target, but Denver has received plenty of interest in Sutton over the last two seasons. We’ll see if teams call the Broncos about Sutton again before this year’s deadline.

5. CB Damarri Mathis: Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian serve as the team’s top three cornerbacks with Levi Wallace providing depth behind them. Tremon Smith is a special teams ace and Kris Abrams-Draine is a fifth-round draft pick who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That could leave Mathis as the odd man out.

6. QB Zach Wilson: The Broncos have repeatedly said that they believe Wilson will become a starter again in the NFL. In order for that to happen, Wilson might need a fresh start somewhere else.

7. QB Jarrett Stidham: Denver obviously wouldn’t trade both Wilson and Stidham, but they could certainly move one of them. Broncos coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that week that at least one team has called about the availability of Denver’s backup quarterbacks.

8. OLB Baron Browning: He is probably the Broncos’ most realistic trade candidate this year. Nik Bonitto (6.0) and Cooper (5.5) lead the team in sacks this fall and youngsters Jonah Elliss (2.0) and Dondrea Tillman (2.0) have also made their mark as rotational pass rushers. Denver has a surplus of pass rushers and Browning is scheduled to hit free agency next spring.

If the team makes any trades in the coming days, we will track all of the potential moves on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos PFF grades: Best, worst players from win vs. Panthers

Broncos QB Bo Nix (87.2) had a great game against the Panthers. View more grades from PFF here.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Pro Football Focus has released grades for each player’s Week 8 performance.

PFF grades players on a 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scale. Check out the best and worst of Week 8 below.

Best Offensive Players 

  • TE Adam Trautman: 90.0
  • QB Bo Nix: 87.2
  • G Quinn Meinerz: 80.9
  • C Alex Forsyth: 80.3
  • OT Garett Bolles: 79.4

It was a great showing for the offensive line as right tackle Mike McGlinchey (79.1) was the sixth-best player on offense. WR Courtland Sutton (72.0) was up next on offense.

Best Defensive Players 

  • DL John Franklin-Myers: 83.1
  • CB Levin Wallace: 79.2
  • DL Jordan Jackson: 74.9
  • CB Ja’Quan McMillian: 74.5
  • OLB Baron Browning: 72.1

No sacks for him, but maybe teams seeking pass-rush help will notice Browning’s performance ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. CB Pat Surtain (70.9) was the team’s sixth-best defender.

Worst Offensive Players 

  • WR Troy Franklin: 39.5
  • OL Calvin Throckmorton: 41.4
  • TE Lucas Kull: 49.8
  • WR Marvin Mims: 51.6
  • WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 53.4

Perhaps the Broncos should consider trading for a wide receiver before the deadline.

Worst Defensive Players 

  • DB Tremon Smith: 39.6
  • CB Riley Moss: 41.4
  • DL Zach Allen: 47.5
  • DL Malcolm Roach: 48.8
  • DB Kevon Key: 54.0

Never mind Smith’s poor grade on defense; he’s an ace on special teams. Meanwhile, Moss and Allen posted uncharacteristically low grades.

Special Teams 

  • ST Tremon Smith: 71.5
  • LS Mitchell Fraboni: 63.9
  • R Marvin Mims: 60.5
  • K Wil Lutz: 64.5 (FG) 60.0 (KO)
  • P Riley Dixon: 62.6

You can view grades for every player on the paid version of PFF’s website.

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Javonte Williams gave Audric Estime a perfect gift after rookie’s second fumble

Broncos veteran Javonte Williams gave rookie Audric Estime a football on Wednesday so “he’ll have a ball for a week whenever he goes.”

In the fourth quarter of last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime lost a fumble. That marked the rookie’s second career fumble on just his ninth career carry.

Estime obviously can’t keep that kind of pace up if he wants to stick around in the NFL. To help the rookie prepare for this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers, veteran Javonte Williams gave Estime a fitting gift this week.

“Javonte has given him a present today where he’ll have a ball for a week whenever he goes,” coach Sean Payton said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think it happens to young backs a lot because at this level, the ability for players and the point of emphasis of taking the ball away, it steps up a lot. Historically speaking, it wasn’t really until the ’90s where Lovie Smith and there were a handful of coaches that began to value the takeaway maybe over not necessarily the proper tackle, but they understood. Then it quickly caught on to our league.

“In other words, the (former NFL CB) Peanut Tillmans, and you just saw what it did to a game. I think it’s coached every… We try to as best we can with these young players give them up-the-river medicine. In other words, before there’s a problem, but now he’s someone where if we’re scouting him, is someone who’s fumbled. Now it’s you kind of have to earn your way out of that, and he will.”

Estime has totaled 56 yards on his nine carries thus far, good for a productive 6.2 yards per carry average. Now the Broncos just need him to hang onto the ball. Williams is hoping giving Estime a ball to carry around all week will help the rookie going into Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

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Broncos had their best rushing performance of the last decade vs. Saints

The Broncos rushed for 225 yards vs. the Saints, their best single-game total since 2013. “Javonte [Williams] had some really good runs.”

The Denver Broncos‘ offensive line (and running backs) came to play against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

Broncos running back Javonte Williams had the first two-touchdown game of his career in a 33-10 win over the Saints, and he went untouched on one of his scores. Williams ended the day with 88 rushing yards and Denver totaled 225 yards on the ground as a team.

That represented the Broncos’ best single-game rushing total in more than a decade. The last time Denver topped 224 yards on the ground was 2013 when they totaled 280 rushing yards against the New England Patriots.

“He had to have been good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Thursday’s win when asked about Williams’ big day. “I didn’t see all of the numbers. We actually were going to come out early, mix in the run and the read option. Bo (Nix) did a great job. We got a penalty called on one that was an impossible penalty. He threw the ball in .5 seconds and we got called for someone downfield (illegal downfield pass). It can’t happen meaning it’s an impossibility. I thought all of that clicked. We blocked them.

“You get a sense right away how you are matching up. Really from the late second quarter on it was pressure. We got a lot more zone tonight from this team maybe to keep more eyes on Bo. He did a good job with his feet. Javonte had some really good runs. When you have a night like that rushing and the time of possession, the script was flipped a little bit from last week. Fortunately from our defense, they got some rest.”

Denver’s big day on the ground was boosted by Nix’s 75 rushing yards, tied for sixth-most by a Broncos quarterback in a single game in franchise history.

“I think it is just an added bonus,” Nix said when asked what his rushing ability adds to the offense.”Obviously, you want to run the ball with running backs in special ways and get behind the o-line. At times, things break down and those hidden yards, I think, are really important. They get extra first downs, and they are ways of sneaking yards in. So, that was good to see, good to use, and we have to continue to do that when it’s there.”

As for Williams, he ended the night with an impressive 6.3 yards per carry average, but he’s still not satisfied with his performance.

“There are still some things that I can clean up and some things that I can improve on,” Williams said. “I am just going to watch the film and get better.”

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Broncos PFF grades: Best, worst players from win vs. Saints

Broncos LB Cody Barton (93.2) had a huge game against the Saints on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ View more grades from PFF here.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Pro Football Focus has released grades for each player’s Week 7 performance.

PFF grades players on a 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scale. Check out the best and worst of Week 6 below.

Best Offensive Players 

  • OT Garett Bolles: 83.1
  • OG Ben Powers: 79.5
  • FB Nate Adkins: 78.7
  • OT Mike McGlinchey: 75.8
  • WR Devaughn Vele: 73.4

It’s no wonder that Javonte Williams (71.8) had one of the best games of his career when the offensive line turned in those performances. Denver had its most rushing yards in a single game (225) since 2013.

Best Defensive Players 

  • LB Cody Barton: 93.2
  • CB Damarri Mathis: 89.4
  • LB Justin Strnad: 85.6
  • CB Ja’Quan McMillian: 78.4
  • OLB Nik Bonitto: 77.6

If not for D.J. Jones jumping early, Barton would have had two defensive touchdowns against the Saints. Mathis made an immediate impact after returning from injured reserve. Kwon Alexander (77.6) got the start against his former team, but Strnad played the majority of the snaps (42 vs. 21).

Worst Offensive Players 

  • WR Courtland Sutton (44.7)
  • RB Audric Estime (55.9)
  • WR Marvin Mims (57.2)
  • TE Adam Trautman (58.4)
  • C Alex Forsyth (58.7)

A strange game for Sutton, who played 56 snaps but drew zero targets. Perhaps the Broncos knew the Saints would try to take Sutton out of the game and opted to feature other WRs. Estime’s fumbles are a concern. Bo Nix (59.1) received PFF’s sixth-worst grade on offense.

Worst Defensive Players 

  • DB Keidron Smith: 29.4
  • DB Devon Key: 46.9
  • DB P.J. Locke: 52.8
  • OLB Baron Browning: 53.2
  • OLB Jonathon Cooper: 59.8

This is the third straight game that Locke has received a poor grade from PFF. Denver put in the second-string defense on the final drive of the game and Smith and Key apparently did not impress.

Special Teams 

  • ST Adam Trautman: 90.2
  • LS Mitchell Fraboni: 64.8
  • R Marvin Mims: 64.5
  • K Wil Lutz: 72.7 (FG) 48.3 (KO)
  • P Riley Dixon: 64.3

You can view grades for every player on the paid version of PFF’s website.

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5 takeaways from the Broncos’ win vs. Saints on ‘TNF’

The Broncos defeated the New Orleans Saints 33-10 on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Here are five quick takeaways from the victory.

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos got a 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. Here are five quick takeaways from the victory.

1. Cody Barton had himself a day: The journeyman linebacker ended the game with eight tackles, one sack, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery he returned 52 yards for a touchdown. Barton also had another score earlier in the game negated by a defensive penalty. He’s been a key part of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s squad.

2. The Broncos had a historic day on the ground: Denver finished the game with 225 rushing yards, the team’s best single-game total since 2013. Javonte Williams led the way with 14 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Going up against a hapless Saints defense, Williams arguably looked the best he has since his 2022 knee injury. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix also had a big day rushing with 10 carries for 75 yards. The only hiccup on the ground came when rookie Audric Estime fumbled in the fourth quarter, marking his second career fumble on just his eighth career touch.

3. Ex-Saints came up big for the Broncos: Denver kicker Wil Lutz went 4-of-4 on field goal attempts and 3-of-3 on extra point attempts, accounting for 15 points. Broncos linebacker Kwon Alexander also started against his former team after being elevated from the practice squad. The veteran linebacker had one tackle and recovered a fumble.

4. Bo Nix needs to calm down: Nix did a great job making plays with his legs, and he seemed to be more composed and accurate when Denver had built a lead, but he had an ugly start to the game. Nix seemed to have anxious feet in the pocket and he threw a few ugly inaccurate passes early on. He also had a bad throw that should have been intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu just before halftime. Nix got better as the game went on and finished the day with a 61.5% rate and no turnovers, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

5. That meant a lot to Sean Payton: Leading up to the game, Broncos players downplayed it as “just another game,” and Payton didn’t make a big deal about facing his former team, at least not to the media. It clearly was an emotional night for the coach, though, and the players had some extra motivation to win one for Payton in New Orleans. The night could not have gone better for Denver’s coach.

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WATCH: Broncos RB Javonte Williams scores 2nd TD vs. Saints

Broncos RB Javonte Williams scores his second TD of the game to make it 26-3 in the third quarter!

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter of Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:

The score was set up by a 32-yard run by quarterback Bo Nix:

At the time of publication, Denver leads New Orleans 26-3.

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