The Broncos arrived at SoFi Stadium in Week 16 last year armed with three games to end their postseason drought but convinced they’d need just one.
The Los Angeles Chargers, playing without running back J.K. Dobbins for the fourth straight week due to a knee injury, went three-and-out to start the Thursday night game.
Denver coach Sean Payton responded with an opening script straight out of a Run The Ball Guy fever dream: Seven rushes for 43 yards. Four different players carried the ball out of the backfield. A play sheet that literally said “Run It!!!” A bruising opening touchdown drive.
The Broncos had 11 carries for 73 yards on their first two drives and bullied their way to a 21-10 lead in the second quarter. Mike McGlinchey pumped his fists and roared as Denver grabbed early control in exactly the manner an offensive lineman would want.
Then all that run game razzle-dazzle fizzled. Denver mustered just 37 yards on 10 carries over the final 42:17 of game time despite leading until early in the fourth quarter. L.A. stormed back and won.
For all the slick design deployed and mojo built in that opening blast, the sequence only temporarily masked what by that time was long clear in Denver: The Broncos had a bunch of guys at running back, but not the guy.
In the six months since, the Broncos let Javonte Williams walk and drafted RJ Harvey, but that job title remains open.
This week, Denver brought Dobbins in for a free-agent visit to see if he might be a good veteran option to add to the mix. He left without a contract and no signing imminent, a source told The Denver Post, though nothing is ruled out for the future.
The rationale for signing Dobbins is perfectly defensible. He wouldn’t be particularly expensive, and what harm is more training camp competition?
After all, a resurgent Dobbins in 2024 ran 195 times for 905 yards and caught 32 passes for 153.
The total production from the Broncos’ four returning backs — Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson — last season: 204 carries for 902 yards, plus 33 catches for 114.
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A year ago, they signed Josh Reynolds in the second wave of free agency — before they drafted Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele. Reynolds was the Broncos’ second-leading receiver when he broke his finger against Las Vegas in Week 5. His stint on injured reserve was complicated because he sustained minor injuries in a shooting, but by the time he was eligible to return, the Broncos had decided they wanted Vele and Franklin on the field. They kept Reynolds practicing on injured reserve for the maximum three weeks just to guard against an injury elsewhere at the position, then released him.
The more similar example, though, came two years ago. Outside linebacker Baron Browning was going to miss time with a knee injury and the Broncos didn’t know quite what they had in Nik Bonitto (entering his second season) and Jonathon Cooper (entering his third). So they signed veteran Frank Clark to a one-year deal in June to fortify their depth.
From the start of training camp, the fit felt forced. Had it not been for $5.5 million guaranteed, Clark might have been jettisoned at the roster cutdown. Instead, the Broncos found ways to offload both he and Randy Gregory by October and turn the keys over to Bonitto, Cooper and Browning.
That turned out awfully well, not just over the rest of the 2023 season but as a launching pad into 2024 when Bonitto racked up 13.5 sacks and defensive player of the year consideration and Cooper earned a four-year, $60 million extension.
No two situations are the same, of course. Dobbins might be a much better fit than Clark. It’s also possible none of the backs on Denver’s roster turn into Cooper or Bonitto-level staples.
But Payton made a comment Thursday that perked up the ears when asked if he agreed with the sentiment that he had a more mature football team this year than last.
“Yes, and part of that is a byproduct of playing young players a year ago,” he said.
Dobbins was in Denver as he said it, preparing for a Thursday workout at the Broncos’ facility after having dinner with team officials Wednesday night.
Will Payton and company decide to bet on the same approach this time around?
Payton is clearly excited about Harvey. He said Estime is going to get a lot of work. He mentioned Thursday that Badie is “really good” in pass protection — Could that give him a leg up on McLaughlin on third down? — and he watched McLaughlin give Denver an element last year that nobody else on the roster possessed.
Does that tilt the decision-making toward following what’s worked the past two years at edge and receiver — letting young players play and betting that the answer is already in the building?
The subplot will be a fascinating one to watch for a team that needs a fast regular-season start and has real external expectations for the first time in quite a while.
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