ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Javonte Williams and D.J. Jones each had their knee surgery setbacks this offseason.
The knee injury for the running back Williams was a bit more serious and well-known. A tackle-breaking, tackle-carrying style runner, Williams suffered a torn ACL in game 4 at Las Vegas last season after he was driven from head to toe into the ground by Raiders’ edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid,’’ Williams said Thursday after the Broncos’ second of two ramp-up training camp practices at team headquarters. “When I got this took away from me it was hard at first but once I started running, started rehabbing again each week my confidence got bigger and bigger and now that I’m back on the field I think this is the highest it’s ever been.’’
Jones, a starting defensive tackle, had a knee procedure after the Broncos’ Christmas Day 51-14 embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He missed the final two games of last season and this offseason’s OTAs but like Williams, Jones has fully participated in the first days of Broncos’ training camp Wednesday and Thursday.
The first official camp practice begins at 10 a.m. Friday with 3,000 fans allowed to attend.
It’s good. It’s a blessing to be back on the field with my teammates,’’ Jones said. “Haven’t played since last December so it feels great.”
Williams has been getting the first reps at running back less than 10 months from his injury – a couple months before some media reports had speculated.
“That’s what I was told, too, like 12 months,’’ Williams said.
The most difficult part about his recovery, Williams said, was at the beginning.
“The first two months, I couldn’t move my knee at all,’’ he said. “I had to learn how to bend it again, how to walk. Having people do everything for me. Because I’m really independent. I like doing everything on my own. My parents had to come out and stay with me for like two months. I couldn’t do anything, they had to do everything for me. That was probably the hardest part.”
It helped that he was able to rehab with the likes of Damarea Crockett, Tim Patrick and Aaron Patrick – teammates who suffered their own ACL tears last year.
The next step in Williams’ recovery is to let it go without worry. But that’s what camp is for.
“I feel like the biggest part of all this is just mental,’’ Williams said. “Just getting out there seeing the holes again, running through the O-line, D-line, things like that it’s a huge confidence boost.’’
Has he been cleared for contact when the Broncos put on pads?
“Yes, I’m cleared,’’ he said.
Has he been cleared to play in the preseason?
“That’s up to the coaches,’’ he said.
Behind Williams on the Broncos’ running back depth chart are veteran Samaje Perine, second-year back Tyler Badie and undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports