Bo Nix Shares Early Impressions of Broncos Rookie RB RJ Harvey

As the Denver Broncos opened up Thursday's practice to media, we caught a glimpse of the early running back pecking order. The Broncos posted an X clip, for example, of the running backs doing drills, and it was the second-year Audric Estime taking the first rep, followed by rookie second-rounder RJ Harvey.

The Estime-first thing reflects the nature of the NFL and how coaches give veterans the first bite at the apple. Rookies, even those in whom the team has high expectations, have to work their way up, whether that's the depth chart or the positional pecking order on the practice field. It was no different for first-round quarterback Bo Nix last year.

Head coach Sean Payton's Thursday comments made it clear that Estime is going to be a key player in the Broncos offense. But who will get the most carries in Payton's running-back-by-committee approach?

That remains to be seen, but it's safe to say that Harvey has some ground to make up in order to start really pushing Estime. However, just as we learned following the 2025 NFL draft, Harvey's talents and abilities as a pass-catcher will be a way for him to separate from Estime and all of his fellow backs early on.

By way of a progress report, Nix shared his early impressions of Harvey, as well as a bold outlook for the rookie running back, with one caveat: the players aren't wearing pads.

"Well, he's done a really good job working. He does a good job out of the backfield. It's hard to tell with shorts and T-shirts what it's like running the ball with no pads, but that's obviously why we got him," Nix said of Harvey following Thursday's OTA practice. "So we know he can run the ball, but I think it's the other things he's showing, just the routes, the suddenness and quickness and hands. I think all that's really good to see, but he's a great guy. A great dude, first and foremost, and I think it's going to translate for him being a successful player."