The Denver Broncos completely reshuffled their offensive backfield this offseason and that move has led to a mixed bag of results.
The first move was to use their second-round pick on RJ Harvey. A dynamic back out of Central Florida, Harvey was a perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense due to his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Later in the offseason, the team signed a running back that seemingly no other team wanted... J.K. Dobbins. He has played quite well for the team.
But Dobbins came out of last Thursday night's victory over the Las Vegas Raiders with a foot injury and though it was deemed minor initially, the team is now reportedly considering placing him on injured reserve. That would force him to miss a minimum of four games.
That would place Harvey in the No. 1 role, but the team would need to decide what to do in terms of the players that are behind him.
The Broncos waived Audric Estime this summer and Tyler Badie was able to leapfrog Jaleel McLaughlin in the pecking order. That was considered a controversial move by some, but Badie offers more from a special teams perspective. That has forced McLaughlin to be a healthy scratch in all but one game so far this season.
But if Dobbins is going to miss time, Payton needs to rethink his strategy.
Badie should stay in the No. 3/special teams role, but McLaughlin offers more from an offensive perspective. For his career, McLaughlin, who went undrafted in 2023, has averaged 4.8 yards per carry while gaining 906 yards with two rushing touchdowns on the ground. He has also caught 55 passes and added four more touchdowns through the air.
The additions of Dobbins and Harvey have made it tough for McLaughlin to get on the field, but he is a special talent who gives his full effort on every snap. He could be a key weapon for the Broncos at this stage of the season.
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If Dobbins misses any time, McLaughlin needs to be placed in the role Harvey has been playing and given a shot to contribute.
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