ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For his courage in the face of adversity, running back Javonte Williams was named the team's 2023 Ed Block Courage Award winner, it was announced in a team meeting on Thursday.
Each year, the Ed Block Courage Award honors players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.
Williams was selected by his teammates for his approach and dedication to the rehab process after suffering a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 2, 2022. He spent the entire offseason rehabbing a torn ACL and LCL in his right knee.
Selected by Denver in the second round (35th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft from the University of North Carolina, Williams has recorded 403 rushes for 1,691 yards (4.2 avg.) with four touchdowns and 88 receptions for 547 yards (6.2 avg.) with five scores. This season, Williams has started 10-of-11 games played, collecting 739 scrimmage yards (584 rushing, 155 receiving), including 16 rushes of 10+ yards.
The Ed Block Courage Award is named in honor of Ed Block, the longtime head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts, who was a pioneer in his profession and a respected humanitarian. Recipients are selected by their teammates for exceptional courage, great character and inspiring effort.
Details regarding the 46th Ed Block Courage Awards recognizing recipients from each of the 32 NFL teams will be announced at a later date.
ALL-TIME DENVER BRONCOS ED BLOCK COURAGE AWARD WINNERS
| Year | Player | Year | Player | Year | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Keith Bishop | 1998 | Tony Jones | 2012 | Chris Kuper |
| 1985 | Rulon Jones | 1999 | Rod Smith | 2013 | Knowshon Moreno |
| 1986 | Rubin Carter | 2000 | John Mobley | 2014 | Chris Harris Jr. |
| 1987 | Dennis Smith | 2001 | Terrell Davis | 2015 | Brandon Marshall/Danny Trevathan |
| 1988 | Gerlad Wilhite | 2002 | Keith Burns | 2016 | Matt Paradis |
| 1989 | Rick Dennison | 2003 | Tom Nalen | 2017 | Todd Davis |
| 1990 | Keith Kartz | 2004 | Dan Neil | 2018 | Jeff Heuerman |
| 1991 | John Elway | 2005 | Dwayne Carswell | 2019 | Andy Janovich |
| 1992 | Dennis Smith | 2006 | Louis Green | 2020 | Bradley Chubb |
| 1993 | Simon Fletcher | 2007 | John Engelberger | 2021 | Courtland Sutton |
| 1994 | Rondel Jones | 2008 | Marquand Manuel | 2022 | KJ Hamler |
| 1995 | Dave Wyman | 2009 | Brian Dawkins | 2023 | Javonte Williams |
| 1996 | Ed McCaffrey | 2010 | Ryan Clady | ||
| 1997 | Steve Atwater | 2011 | Elvis Dumervil |
