George Paton: "There's a chance" we bring Javonte Williams back

Running back Javonte Williams led the Broncos in rushing for the second straight year in 2024, but he saw Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime take on a bigger share of the work in the backfield and that seemed to foreshadow an offseason departure.

Williams is set to become a free agent next month and paying him feels like a low priority given the other backs in Denver as well as the options available through the draft. General Manager George Paton didn't rule it out during a press conference from the Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

“Well, I mean, there’s a chance we bring Javonte back, and I think Javonte is one of the best pass protectors in the league," Paton said, via Andrew Mason of 104.3 The Fan. "And I think he’s still young and he’s still ascending, another year removed from the injury. But I think there’s so many different flavors in this draft of runner, and we have some backs that we like.”

Paton noted the severe knee injury that Williams suffered early in the 2022 season and there will be some thoughts of how things might have gone for Williams had he avoided that absence. That answer is impossible to know and it could lead to his next chapter being set in another town.