Has Javonte Williams put Melvin Gordon III on notice?
Aug 17, 2021, 7:54 PM
With how the Broncos passing game looked against the Vikings in Week 1 of the preseason, it’d be understandable how someone might have overlooked what Denver did on the ground.
Rookie Javonte Williams and veteran Royce Freeman both carried the ball five times for roughly 30 yards each while Damarea Crockett mopped up with 16 carries for 59 yards.
But perhaps most impressive is the Broncos running game, specifically Williams, shined against the Vikings despite starter Melvin Gordon III not factoring into the mix.
Gordon, who’s nursing a minor groin injury and hasn’t practiced the past two days, did not participate in Saturday’s preseason opener, which “The Drive” co-host Tyler Polumbus thinks could leave the veteran running back vulnerable with Williams nipping at his heels.
“If you’re Melvin Gordon, I do understand the badge of honor that you get as a veteran that you don’t have to play in the game,” Polumbus said. “But if you’ve got somebody hot on your tail like that, man, I think I might be pressing for a little bit of playing time.”
After practice on Tuesday, center Lloyd Cushenberry touted Williams’ ability, saying the rookie running back has a “bright future.”
“He’s tough. He can run the routes. He’s got a mean stiff-arm and can break some tackles,” Cushenberry said. “It’s going to be fun to block for him and watch him develop throughout the course of the year.”
Earlier in training camp, Gordon addressed the competition in the running backs room, saying, “They will always bring someone to take your job.”
But after last season, when he said he got “too caught up” in the competition with now-Houston Texans running back Phillip Lindsay, Gordon said he’s just focusing on how to make the Broncos, and himself, better.
“I’ve been around some talented backs, and I’m going to continue to work,” Gordon said last month. “I’ve always told myself to work like a free agent. Work like a free agent. Work like you came in here and you didn’t have anything. That’s going to always be my mindset.
“I’m going to always grind, and I’m going to always get it. I’m going to do what I need to do to help this team win. That’s why I’m here.”
