Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams made his return to the field against the San Francisco 49ers last Saturday after missing 13 games last season with a knee injury.
The 23-year-old running back was eager to be able to get live reps as a tune-up before the regular season begins.
“It was really all about just getting the nerves off,” Williams said after the game. “I just wanted to get tackled again and to see how it felt. That’s the biggest hurdle I had left with the whole recovery process. Getting it out of the way was good.”
Mission accomplished. Williams was tackled seven times on Saturday and left the game unscathed.
“It was just like a weight had been lifted off me,” Williams said of being tackled for the first time. “I was thinking that it was going to hurt, but I really didn’t feel it. I jumped right back up.”
Williams went on to say that he feels 100% recovered from the injury and he’s now ready to play in Week 1 after getting live game reps in August.
“I feel good to go,” Williams said. “Like I said, it was good to just get that out of the way in the preseason when the games don’t really count, rather than having it come in the regular season.”
In Week 1, Williams will face the Las Vegas Raiders, the team Denver faced when the running back tore his ACL and LCL in Week 4 last season. The season opener will be a big game for Williams.
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