Big fish like Josh Jacobs or Saquon Barkley? Or should Broncos bring back Latavius Murray?

Sean Payton will run the ball.

In each of his final six seasons as Saints head coach, New Orleans ranked in the top half of the league in rushing yardage. Three times in his final four seasons there, they sat among the NFL’s top five in rushing attempts.

In 2021, they ranked fourth in the league in rushing attempts — and 30th in the league in passing attempts. That was his first — and only — season in New Orleans without Drew Brees at quarterback. But in Brees’ final on-field season of 2020 New Orleans ranked 25th in passing attempts and fifth in rushing attempts.

His Saints ran often in 2021, but they didn’t run productively. New Orleans ranked fourth in rushing attempts — but finished 28th in yards per carry.

Still, one thing is certain: The Broncos will run.

It’s just a question of who handles the workload. And with Javonte Williams recovering from multiple torn knee ligaments, Mike Boone’s contract expiring, Latavius Murray set for free agency and Chase Edmonds a potential cap casualty with no dead money if the Broncos release him, the Broncos seem poised to be in the running-back market next month.

The question now is this: Do the Broncos go for a clear No. 1 running back? Or do they look for options to complement Williams once he returns?

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IF THE BRONCOS GO BIG …

There are plenty of names they can consider. And the list starts with a running back who has made life miserable for them in recent years:

JOSH JACOBS, RAIDERS: Was Payton joking when he suggested that “maybe” the Broncos look at him? During one of Payton’s myriad media appearances Super Bowl week, he said, “I’m glad he’s a free agent. I encourage everyone to look at him, get him out of the [AFC] West. Maybe we look at him.” At the very least, Jacobs leaving the Raiders makes life easier for the Broncos. In seven games against the Broncos, Jacobs posted four 100-yard rushing tallies and scored nine times. He broke 100 yards in his last three against Denver. But there’s more to his resume; there’s a league-leading 1,653 rushing yards last season and three 1,000-yard seasons. Running backs must be effective receivers to flourish for Payton, and Jacobs fits the bill; he has 107 receptions for 748 yards over the last two seasons and averages 40 catches per season. Stunningly, he doesn’t have a receiving touchdown to his name. But that’s the only blemish.

SAQUON BARKLEY, GIANTS: Barkley is generally regarded as one of the NFL’s most complete backs. And he brings a big name if he hits the market. But the truth is, his injury history might make others better choices; he hasn’t played all games in a season since 2018, and from 2019-21 missed 21 games — 14 of which came in 2020. Barkley also hasn’t matched the 5.0-yards-per-attempt figure he amassed as a rookie; he averred 4.4 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per catch last season.

TONY POLLARD, COWBOYS: The better and more efficient part of Dallas’ two-headed backfield combination, Pollard is a plus player in the passing game as well as on the ground. He averaged 9.5 yards on his 39 receptions last year. Also, consider this: No running back with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage last year — not even San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey — had as many yards per touch as Pollard (5.9 yards).

MILES SANDERS, EAGLES: Sanders CAN be a threat in the passing game; he averaged 10.2 yards per catch as a rookie in 2019. But his use as a pass-catcher declined … while in 2022, he had the most productive rushing season of his career. Sanders has never failed to average at least 4.6 yards per carry in any of his four Eagles seasons.

But the Broncos could go somewhere in-between:

JAMAAL WILLIAMS, LIONS: The “steady Eddie” of the class, Williams has missed just eight games in his six career seasons — a remarkable figure for a running back. Detroit used him more than Green Bay did, and the result was his first 1,000-yard campaign in a season that was comparable on a per-carry and per-catch basis to his previous five years, including four with the Packers. Williams turns 28 in April and is built for durability, not speed, carrying 224 pounds on a 6-foot frame. You know what you’re getting with him, which is why it would be no surprise if the Lions opt to bring him back as they look to run it back with an offense that unexpectedly became one of the NFL’s best last year.

DAVID MONTGOMERY, BEARS: I’ll admit, this is something of a miss for me. I expected his career to be a “Full Monty” when he came out of Iowa State, but his production has been pedestrian, with a career per-carry average of 3.9 yards and only one 1,000-yard season despite missing just six games in four seasons. He did emerge as a solid pass-catcher, and if he can find a bit more explosiveness, could bring good value if a team can sign him for an average per-year value of $7 million.

JERICK McKINNON, CHIEFS: At a cap figure of $1,272,500 last year, he was a bargain for the world champions. But he was also the right player in the right spot. His pass-catching skills and adept pre-snap eye — remember, he was a college QB — were perfect fits with the Chiefs, and he racked up 9 touchdown catches and 10 scores overall.

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BUT HERE’S THE DEAL …

… The Broncos COULD have Williams back at some point in the 2023 season.

That leads to the second category of running backs: the value pickups. If the goal is only to bridge a gap to Williams’ return, this is the pool in which the Broncos would swim.

LATAVIUS MURRAY, BRONCOS: This would be the easiest call, and one of the most cap-friendly. Murray joined the Saints in 2021, and a year later, the Broncos became the latest stop in a peripatetic career defined by two attributes: durability and ball security. “He’s a super guy,” Payton said. You guys have had the chance to cover him. He’s one of those guys you like being around. We had a great experience with him in New Orleans.” But Murray is also 33 years of age and has over 1,700 career touches.

D’ONTA FOREMAN, PANTHERS: The 26-year-old back came into his own with the Panthers last season — as the Broncos discovered first-hand in Week 12. Consider this: In Carolina’s final 11 games last year, Foreman picked up 79.7 rushing yards a game — a 17-game pace of 1,355 yards. The burly 236-pounder runs with power, but he isn’t much of a pass catcher; he has just 23 career receptions, and never more than 9 in a season to date.

KAREEM HUNT, BROWNS: Why is he down here? Because the recent production doesn’t match the on-field reputation for the 2017 rushing leader; he averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry last season while serving as the No. 2 part of Cleveland’s RB platoon. And then there’s his 2018 assault of a woman captured on-camera. Hunt was not charged, but the Chiefs released him, and that incident will cause some teams to cross him off their list entirely.

RASHAAD PENNY, SEAHAWKS: Eyebrows arched when the Seahawks picked him in the first round five years ago. He never lived up to that status, missing 40 games over five seasons, including 12 last year. Still, Penny is a back with a career 5.7-yards-per-carry average. He’s dangerous if he can get to the second level — and if he can stay healthy.

DAMIEN HARRIS, PATRIOTS: As with Penny, injuries are an issue for Harris, whose star faded as Rhamondre Stevenson’s rose in New England. Still, he remains efficient on a per-carry basis — he averaged 4.4 yards per attempt last year — and has just three fumbles in 489 career touches.

OTHER NOTABLE UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:

Matt Brieda, Giants
Rex Burkhead, Texans
Kenyan Drake, Ravens
Darrell Henderson, Jaguars
Mark Ingram, Saints
Alexander Mattison, Vikings
Raheem Mostert, Dolphins
Samaje Perine, Bengals
Boston Scott, Eagles
Devin Singletary, Bills
Jeff Wilson, Dolphins

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