The first contact came at the line of scrimmage. Broncos running back Javonte Williams shirked it like he was slicked in oil.

Next, he ducked inside where four would-be Baltimore tacklers appeared to have him boxed in. Williams bludgeoned through the traffic, piercing holes in the Ravens’ defense.

Yet Williams, then a rookie trying to establish himself in the pecking order of Denver’s backfield, saved his best trick for last. Once Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey wrapped both arms around his torso, the bowling ball back carried him from his own 30-yard-line another 20 yards. It took two other defenders to eventually bring last season’s second-round pick to a halt.

Williams, who enters this season atop the depth chart after an impressive rookie season, laughed when asked to recall that moment.

“I don’t know, I just heard a whole lot of yelling,” he told The Denver Post during training camp.

Whether through fans’ social media posts or his own interest in re-living arguably his best highlight of 2021, Williams estimated he’d seen the clip around 500 times. In it, he harnessed the power and effort the Broncos want to see from their lead back starting Week 1 at Seattle.

If fans were upset a year ago when veteran running back Melvin Gordon “took” carries from Williams, then at least the dynamics have shifted. Each back had 203 rushing attempts a year ago and both finished with more than 900 yards on the ground. Last winter, Denver general manager George Paton was patient as Gordon tested free agency, ultimately settling on a modest one-year deal to return.

The result, as the Broncos enter a season with increased expectations, is another timeshare backfield featuring two power runners, each capable of bullying through crevices or catching the ball in space. (Williams finished last season with 43 catches to Gordon’s 28.)

“I heard a lot of people saying thunder and lightning,” Williams joked of their still-unnamed partnership. “But I feel like both of us are really thunder, though.”

Whatever they’re called, their partnership is bound to draw scrutiny as the ballast to quarterback Russell Wilson’s aerial attack — with the focus primarily on who gets the most work.

“Me and Mel are cool,” Williams said. “We hang out with each other. Just like any other teammate. There’s no bad blood or none of that. I feel like a lot of people always want it to be that, but at the end of the day, we understand what’s going on.”

Gordon, who acknowledged new coach Nathaniel Hackett wants Williams to be “the guy,” said he anticipated some sort of alternating scheme.

“I don’t know how they will do the rotation,” Gordon said. “I have to go back and look at how they did things in Green Bay (where Hackett was the offensive coordinator) with the carries and things like that. … I don’t know what the future holds but I just want to put my best foot forward so when I do go out there, they go, ‘OK, we need to get him out there more.’ I know I have the game.”

Last year in Green Bay, A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones carried 187 and 171 times, respectively.

Regardless of his role, Gordon’s motivation is clearly defined.

“(Hackett) told me coming in, it’s about the Super Bowl,” Gordon said. “It’s about winning the Super Bowl and we are going to do whatever is best for the team. I’m bought into that 100% because I want the ring more than anything.”

Inevitably, Wilson, who was Gordon’s teammate at Wisconsin after transferring from North Carolina State, will have some say. When asked his impression of Williams, Wilson gushed about his potential.

“When I turn on the film and watch Javonte, I am like, ‘Wow, this guy is amazing,’” Wilson said. “’ He’s special.’ Just watching his decision-making, his cuts, and his vision — I know he’s a Tar Heel, so I don’t know if I can brag about him too much.”

What Wilson perhaps didn’t know is that Williams is only now starting to learn the nuances of the position. During his first three seasons in high school, Williams was a linebacker. His coach moved him to running back before his senior season in an effort to garner more Division I attention.

In other words, his running style — both punishing and explosive — was groomed to seek contact.

“I feel like at first, that’s what I was doing, but now I’m starting to really understand running back,” Williams said. “How to set people up, how to hit the hole. … When I was in college, I was playing running back as a linebacker, but now I’m starting to understand how to play running back.”

Sharing the load

The Broncos had the most balanced 1-2 running back duo in the NFL last year. A look at which teams had two running backs with at least 125 attempts:

*Does not include Baltimore and Philadelphia, which had quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts carry 133 and 139 times, respectively.