Sean Payton's Broncos suffer major injury setback to key offensive weapon
During Week 4 of the 2022-23 NFL season, the Denver Broncos lost starting running back Javonte Williams for the season.
The second-year running back suffered tears to his ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner that ended his season prematurely.
bit.ly/3Sv3Ikj#Broncos RB Javonte Williams was been ruled out with a knee injury after this play
Injury analysis⏩bit.ly/3Sv3Ikj https://t.co/5gqkC2LNpB
According to senior NFL writer Jeff Legwold, who covers Denver, Williams could miss some time to begin the 2023 season as he is still recovering from his devastating injury.
#Broncos RB Javonte Williams could be kept out of multiple games to start the 2023 season, according to @Jeff_Legwold
Williams suffered multiple knee-ligament tears after getting injured on Week 4 against the #Raiders https://t.co/x5v5BThiMY
Williams only played in four games in 2022. He carried the ball 47 times for 404 yards while adding 76 receiving yards. He had a big rookie season where he ran for 903 yards and four touchdowns and had 316 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Latavius Murray led the team in yards last season with 703 and a team-high five touchdowns. Backup running back Melvin Gordon ran for 318 yards and two touchdowns before being released by the team.
The Denver Broncos offense is looking to take a major step in 2023 under Sean Payton
The Denver Broncos finished last season with the worst offense in the NFL. They averaged a league-low 16.9 points per game. That's low for a team that had high hopes when it acquired quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
Wilson himself had the worst season of his career. He suffered a 4-11 record as the starting quarterback while completing a personal worst 60.5 percent of his passes and a career-low 16 touchdown passes.
No receiver went for over 1,000 yards receiving or had more than 10 touchdowns. They also didn't have a running back rushing for more than 1,000 yards or 10 touchdowns.
The team fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett after a poor 4-11 start. They acquired Sean Payton this offseason via trade with the New Orleans Saints and are hoping he elevates the team to a playoff team.