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."
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:
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.
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.
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