What Broncos' RB Tryouts Suggest About Beat-Up Backfield

With injuries mounting in the backfield, the Denver Broncos worked out a trio of free-agent running backs on Tuesday.

Per the NFL's transaction wire, the Broncos held tryouts with RBs Marcus Yarns, Sam Scott, and Jaden Nixon — none of whom have officially been signed as of this writing.

Yarns is arguably the most notable name of the troika. Undrafted in 2025, he briefly latched on with the New Orleans Saints before heading to the United Football League, where he played for the Houston Gamblers.

The 5-foot-11, 198-pound back played his collegiate ball at Maryland, totaling 365 carries for 2,344 rushing yards (6.4 yards per attempt) and 23 touchdowns across 44 games. He added 64 catches for 812 receiving yards and 11 TDs.

"Two-year starter from the FCS who needs a very specific role to have a long-term chance," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "Yarns was a productive three-down player at Delaware. He’s a slender long-strider with good top-end speed but has very little contact balance and is not built for interior runs in the NFL. He will need to improve his route-running so he can rebrand as a change-of-pace slasher with pass-catching talent."

This is the second such tryout for Yarns, whom the Broncos also hosted during Organized Team Activities in June. He left that visit without putting pen to paper.

Perhaps that changes now.