Broncos CB K’Waun Williams Undergoing Ankle Surgery, Being Placed On IR

Mike Klis of 9 News reports that Broncos veteran CB K’Waun Williams is undergoing ankle surgery in North Carolina on Monday.

According to Klis, the only decision right now is whether Williams will be placed on short-term injured reserve or season-ending injured reserve. 

Chris Tomasson reports that the surgery could sideline Williams for six to eight weeks and added that he could potentially return midseason.

In order for the Broncos to keep the door open for Williams to return later this season, they would need to carry him on their 53-man roster until after roster cuts. It’s procedural, but it could cost them a player on waivers, depending. 

Williams, 31, wound up signing on with the Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh back in 2014. He was in the final year of his three-year, $1.53 million contract when the Browns cut him loose during the preseason.

Williams was later claimed off of waivers by the Bears, but he failed a physical due to his ankle injury and was cut loose a day later. The 49ers signed him to a one-year, $765,000 contract in 2017, before signing him to a three-year extension at the start of the regular season. 

San Francisco picked up Williams’ option in 2020 and brought him back on a one-year deal. The Broncos later signed him to a two-year, contract worth a maximum value of $7 million.

In 2022, Williams appeared in 14 games for the Broncos and recorded 44 tackles, one sack, an interception and seven pass defenses.