The Denver Broncos have won each of their last seven games and they have what many feel is the best defense in the league. But the offense has had its issues and those could get even worse if J.K. Dobbins is forced to miss an extended period of time.
Dobbins missed practice again on Thursday and the odds of him playing on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs are starting to look slim. It was reported earlier in the week that the team is considering placing him on injured reserve, and the odds of that happening seem to be getting better.
If he is placed on injured reserve, he will miss a minimum of four games. The Broncos would need to think about bringing in an additional running back, likely a bigger player who can handle the short-yardage and goal-line work.
Rookie RJ Harvey will take over as the featured back and be in line to get a big uptick in usage, but the Broncos have only Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin behind him. Badie and McLaughlin are smaller running backs who the team can use as a change of pace, but they aren't guys the team will want to place a big workload on.
The only other running back on the roster is 5-foot-6-inch Deuce Vaughn, who is on the practice squad. The Broncos could check out the free-agent market and see which players may have kept themselves in playing shape, looking for an opportunity to come their way.
Here are some possibilities.
Zack Moss
Zack Moss was a third-round pick in the 2020 draft, but his career never took off the way many felt it would. After spending three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. He spent the rest of the 2022 season and the full 2023 season there before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason.
He played in six games for the Bengals and rushed for 224 yards and two touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury last November. He has not played since.
The Broncos would obviously need to make sure Moss was good to go, but he could provide the kind of tough, inside running that the team is going to need.
Gus Edwards
After six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Gus Edwards signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency ahead of the 2024 season and was slated to be the team's starting running back.
But he played in only 11 games and rushed for 365 yards and four touchdowns. The Chargers released him during the offseason.
He is 30 years old now and his best days are behind him but the Broncos could use his bowling-ball style in the short-yardage running game.
Jamaal Williams
It wasn't that long ago that Jamaal Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns on the ground for the Detroit Lions. That was the 2022 season, but things have changed greatly for him since then.
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After two quiet seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Williams was released this past March but like Edwards, he is 30 years old and could come in and offer a grinder for the team on goal-line and key situations where the team just needs a yard or two to move the chains.
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