PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Denver Broncos are drafting a running back. And that runner could well be the team’s primary ball-carrier — perhaps the “three-down back” that teams crave, but often proves elusive and hard to find, a point that general manager George Paton made again when he met media at the NFL Annual Meeting this week.
“Not as many three-down backs,” Paton said, “But it’s a good class. We’ll get a [running] back in this draft.”
But the Broncos added a running back in last year’s draft, too — Audric Estimé. They also had another undrafted rookie last year — Blake Watson, a pass-catching back who started slowly but stuck on the 53-player squad coming out of training camp, although the team snuck him to the practice squad in October.
There’s also Tyler Badie, who appeared poised to seize the RB1 snaps in Week 4 after exploding in the second half at Tampa Bay before suffering a back injury that put him on the shelf until the playoff game at Buffalo.
And there’s Jaleel McLaughlin, who was the Broncos’ most consistent back among a three-headed monster of himself, Estimé and the since-departed Javonte Williams during the second half of the season.
These players matter.
So, when Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about the attributes he seeks when scouting running backs — after all, he was a running-backs coach in the 1990s, with eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as one of his pupils — he gave a detailed answer, but as he concluded his response, he offered this reminder:
“Make no mistake about it: We’re wanting to see our group at home get these opportunities now,” he said. “So that competition, I think will help.”
Perhaps the world has forgotten about what the Broncos have on hand in their pantry.
But Payton hasn’t.
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WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BRONCOS BACKFIELD LAST SEASON
Payton acknowledged issues in trying to make a three-running back mix work, and with McLaughlin not having the body type to handle an every-down load, Estimé trying to overcome early-season ball-security issues and Williams still unable to show his pre-injury burst, the Broncos’ run game muddled along down the stretch.
That Denver’s offensive line spent most of the year ranked at or near the top of ESPN’s run-block win rate metrics seemed to exacerbate frustration with the state of the rushing attack. The holes were there. McLaughlin and Estimé each averaged over 4.0 yards per carry. Badie did as well, but he had just 11 regular-season attempts, far fewer than the 113 and 76 of McLaughlin and Estimé, respectively.
Watson had just 4 attempts and one reception, but was on that 13-yard catch against the Chargers in Week 16 that he showed the ability that made the Broncos intrigued by him in the pre-draft process; he navigated through the Los Angeles defense to set up goal-to-go — and Estimé’s first career touchdown.
Payton mentioned Watson as potential “joker” candidate last May, and that brings about an interesting conundrum of this running-back room: The incumbent with the best chance might be determined by who — and when — the Broncos draft.
If the Broncos wait until Day 2 — or even Day 3 — to select a runner, it’s likely to not be a 3-down running back. Thus, a first- and second-down pounder such as Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson — who appeared to post on his Instagram that he was visiting Broncos headquarters Wednesday — or Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins would probably put Estimé’s role in jeopardy while enhancing Watson’s chances.
But if the Broncos select a potential “joker” back such as Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, Syracuse’s LeQuint Allen, Central Florida’s RJ Harvey or Southern Methodist’s Breshard Smith, Watson might find himself on the roster bubble, while Estimé could have a better grip on a spot.
McLaughlin likely remains in the mix as a dynamic change-of-pace threat. Badie is the wild card in the room.
All are on Payton’s radar, even if the focus of Broncos Country’s attention has already turned to who’s next rather than who’s here.