PFF Isn't Impressed With Broncos' Offseason Improvements at RB

After a terrible year of production from their running back room, the Denver Broncos made some offseason investments to change things up. Gone is Javonte Williams, who was the Broncos' lead back for four years, and in comes rookie RJ Harvey and veteran J.K. Dobbins.

While the changes are promising, the effectiveness of Harvey and Dobbins has yet to be demonstrated on the field. It's the offseason, after all. 

When it comes to Denver's new-look depth chart, Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman isn't impressed, ranking it as the NFL's 28th-best in the site's running back rankings.

“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," Wasserman wrote. "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.”

There is potential with Harvey, but he hasn’t played a snap in the NFL. While Dobbins is a good addition, his injury history is concerning. The rest of the Broncos' running back room, including McLaughlin, Estime, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson, are all competing to make the roster, with two spots available. 

Dobbins is a fine addition, but the injuries are a concern. Wasserman didn't delve into how Dobbins' efficiency as a runner declined after the first few weeks of the 2024 season or how he doesn’t contribute much as a receiver out of the backfield.

With the Broncos losing Williams, they have also lost significant receiving ability out of the backfield, as well as a top pass protector in the NFL. Dobbins helps fill both roles, but only to a limited extent. Dobbins isn’t close to Williams in either of those areas. 

With Harvey, it's all potential, as he hasn’t played a single snap in the NFL. Fortunately, running back is the easiest position to transition to the NFL, which is why there is so excitement for him, but not all backs can make the jump so quickly. It's a good sign that Harvey performed as well as he did in college, considering that the infrastructure around him at UCF wasn’t great, and the Broncos have an excellent supporting cast in place. 

The only thing that Wasserman wrote that makes me raise an eyebrow is the small bit on McLaughlin. Over two years with the Broncos, McLaughlin has shown limited potential as a receiver out of the backfield, and over that time, he hasn’t shown what he needs to suggest there is room for more out of him.

McLaughlin is a solid slasher back with his burst, where he can see an opening, make a cut, and get upfield quickly. That doesn’t mean he can’t contribute in certain situations as a receiver; it just isn’t where he will be most effective. 

There's a reason Sean Payton has hyped up Harvey and his explosiveness as a receiver out of the backfield. The Broncos are likely looking to Harvey to step up and fill the production vacuum left by Williams’ departure, not McLaughlin, the latter of whom must compete to make the roster. In fact, of the running backs competing for the final two spots, Badie is the one who likely has the most room to become the Broncos' receiving back. 

The Takeaway

Potential is great, and the Broncos have it in the running back room, but it's almost all with Harvey. Estime has some potential, but the signing of Dobbins isn’t good news for the second-year player's growth.

With the Broncos' running backs ranking 28th, there is plenty of room for them to make a jump. However, it will fall on Harvey to carry (pun intended) the Broncos to a higher ranking after this season.

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Even then, there is only so much he can do. After this season, the Broncos could use another young running back to pair with Harvey for the long run.