Broncos backfield an open competition

By Jared Smola | Updated on Fri, May 31 2024 5:01 PM UTC

Broncos HC Sean Payton said recently that his backfield is an open competition heading into the season. "All these guys, they're all competing for different roles, spots," Payton said. "We never put a cap on what they're competing for. I wanna see it. And then we'll go by what we see."

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

Starting jobs and roster spots are up for grabs in most backfields around the league at this point of the offseason. But Payton's words are meaningful for a couple of reasons:

He has a long history of deploying two- and even three-back committees.
The Broncos added fifth-round rookie Audric Estime and undrafted rookie Blake Watson to a backfield that already included Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Samaje Perine.

A 100% healthy Williams is the most talented back in the group, but he struggled returning from his 2022 multi-ligament knee injury last year. Williams mustered just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 42nd out of 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt.

If Williams doesn't bounce back this season, there are threats in Denver to steal work. The 5'11, 221-pound Estime is built similarly to Williams. And Payton specifically mentioned McLaughlin as a young back who earned a role last year.

Rankings Movement

Williams has taken a slight fall down our RB Rankings over the last few weeks. He still boasts a 255-PPR-point ceiling projection, though, and is worth taking some shots on at his RB27 best ball ADP.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.