By R.L. Bynum
Javonte Williams made his preseason debut for the Denver Broncos after his long recovery from right knee surgery and declared that he is 100%.
His performance was productive for the number of snaps he got — 12 rushing yards on three carries and four catches for 18 yards — and just being back on the field for the Broncos’ 21–20 exhibition loss Saturday at San Francisco was huge.
There was relief when he took his first hit.
“It was just like a weight lifted off of me,” Williams said. “I was thinking it was going to hurt or something, but I really didn’t even feel it. I just jumped back up.”
He couldn’t make the catch on a screen pass in the game’s first play but caught a throw from former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson on the second play for 12 yards.
“I was still just thinking I got hurt the last time I got tackled,” Williams said. “There was a lot of nerves going into it, but once I got it out of the way, I felt pretty good.”
It’s unlikely that Williams will play again before Denver opens the season at home on Sept. 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he sounds eager for what’s ahead. It was in a game against those Raiders on Oct. 2 last season when he suffered tears to his ACL and LCL to end his season.
“I’m even more excited,” Williams said. “Just seeing the way that we improved from last week to this week, the o-line and everybody like that, it just looks promising for us. Hopefully, we will translate over to the next preseason game and to the regular season.”
Dazz Newsome, Miles Dorn, Kyler McMichael and Andre Smith are getting longer looks than they perhaps would have gotten in other camps.
Unlike recent years, all NFL teams can keep 90 players on their rosters throughout the preseason and don’t have to cut down to 53 until Aug. 29, the Tuesday after the final exhibition games. Last season, teams had to trim to 85 after the first exhibition, 80 after the second and 53 after the third.
The San Francisco 49ers’ depth chart lists Newsome as the fourth-string wide receiver, Dorn is Miami’s fifth-string safety, McMichael is Arizona’s fifth-string cornerback and Smith is the fourth-string left inside linebacker on the Atlanta Falcons’ depth chart.
Newsome caught the only pass targeted to him for the 49ers in their win over Denver. Smith came off the bench to get three tackles, one for a loss, in Atlanta’s 13-all tie with Cincinnati on Friday. Wide receiver Mack Hollins caught the two passes targeted to him for 20 yards for Atlanta.
Dorn had two tackles, one for a loss, and an assist in Miami’s 28–3 Saturday win at Houston.
McMichael had two tackles in the Cardinals’ 38–10 Saturday home loss to Kansas City.
In his second NFL exhibition, wide receiver Josh Downs again got playing time several ways. In the Indianapolis Colts’ 24–17 Saturday home win against Chicago, he had two catches for 20 yards, a punt return for five yards and a kickoff return for 14 yards.
Mitch Trubisky, the clear No. 2 quarterback behind former Pitt QB Kenny Pickett, was efficient off the bench in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27–15 Saturday home win over Buffalo. Trubisky, who turned 29 Sunday, was 10 of 13 for 78 yards and a touchdown with a 116.8 passer rating while running twice for 13 yards.
Cole Holcomb, the Steelers’ starting left inside linebacker, had three tackles, including one for a loss, and defended one pass.
Ty Chandler had 11 carries for 24 yards in Minnesota’s 24–16 Saturday home loss to Tennessee, and remains the Vikings’ third-string running back.
Antoine Green, the third-string wide receiver on Detroit’s depth chart, caught the only pass targeted to him for 18 yards in the Lions’ 25–7 Saturday home loss to Jacksonville. It was the second-longest Detroit play of the game. Rookie nose tackle Raymond Vohasek had one tackle for Jacksonville.
Rookie Asim Richards started at left tackle for the second consecutive Dallas Cowboys exhibition, a 22–13 Saturday loss at Seattle.
Safety M.J. Stewart Jr., second-string on Houston’s depth chart, had three tackles in the Texans’ 28–3 Saturday loss to Miami.
Linebacker Tomon Fox had an active game off the bench during the New York Giants’ 21–19 home win Friday over the Carolina Panthers. He collected two tackles (one for a loss), one assist. He tackled quarterback Matt Corral for a six-yard loss and hurried him once.
Giants right guard Joshua Ezeudu played off the bench.
Tar Heels who have sat out exhibition games this weekend included running back Michael Carter and linebacker Chazz Surratt of the New York Jets and Houston Texans tackle Charlie Heck (on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury).
The teams for several UNC alums still haven’t played this weekend, including Sam Howell, who was named last week as the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback.
Robert Quinn, a free agent, was arrested Friday in Summerville, S.C., after the pickup truck he was driving allegedly hit four vehicles on Tuesday. He then allegedly hit a woman in the face.
He faces charges of third-degree assault and battery, hit-and-run of an attended vehicle, striking fixtures adjacent to a highway and four counts of hit-and-run property damage.
Dyami Brown, Washington Commanders wide receiver
Age 23 | 6–0, 195 | third NFL season | UNC 2018–20
Roster situation — Second-string WR behind Terry McLaurin
38–10 Sunday loss vs. Dallas — 1 of 1 passing, 4 yards, 83.3 passer rating; 7 offensive snaps (14%), 12 special-teams snaps (55%)
Season statistics — 17 games, 1 start; 12 catches, 164 yards (35 longest), 1 TD; 1 rush, 0 yards; 1 assist; 2 special-teams tackles; 1 special-teams assist; 1 of 1 passing, 4 yards, 83.3 passer rating
Season over — The Commanders finished 4–13.
Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals running back
Age 24 | 5–8, 201 | third NFL season | UNC 2017–20
Roster situation — Competing for time with James Conner, Earl Demercado and Keaontay Ingram
21–20 Sunday loss vs. Seattle