The running back position has been the most talked-about spot on the Denver Broncos roster ahead of the 2025 season, and that is likely to continue.
There are many questions within the position group this offseason, including how the group will be better than it was in 2024, who will be the players that make the 53-man roster, and how much a rookie will be asked to do in his first season.
The Broncos allowed Javonte Williams to leave in free agency this offseason and in his spot, added two running backs to strengthen the position for the coming season. That started with using a second-round pick on RJ Harvey out of Central Florida and then signing veteran J.K. Dobbins in free agency.
Those will be the players asked to lead the charge in 2025, with some combination of Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson mixed in. It could be a great group for the Broncos, one that helps the progression of Bo Nix, but Pro Football Focus is not high on the team’s running backs, at least not right now.
Dylan Wasserman of PFF ranked every running back unit in the NFL and he put the Broncos towards the bottom of the league, at No. 28. Only the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys (who signed Williams) were ranked lower.
“Denver recently signed ex-Charger J.K. Dobbins, who returned from a torn Achilles to post a modest 67.1 PFF rushing grade in Los Angeles last season. The team thought highly enough of UCF’s RJ Harvey to select him in the second round of this year’s draft. Harvey ranked eighth among FBS running backs with a 94.2 PFF rushing grade over the past two seasons.
Jaleel McLaughlin returns as a potential change-up option in the passing game, while Audric Estime could take on short-yardage touches”, wrote Wasserman.
The Broncos weren’t terrible running the football last year. Their 112.2 yards per game ranked 16th in the league. But the team only averaged 4.1 yards per carry and they would like to see that number improve.
The Broncos may not have the deepest receiving corps and it’s a young group of guys once you get past Courtland Sutton. It seems clear that Sean Payton wants to assist Nix with an effective running game to help take the pressure off of him and leave him in more third-and-manageable situations than third-and-longs.
There will be a lot of people calling for a sophomore slump when it comes to Nix this season. A strong rushing attack that makes the Broncos a run-first offense would be a great way to counter that.
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