How heavy is “run heavy” for the Broncos offense in 2023?

The Denver Broncos have a head coach in Sean Payton who likes to fill the air with footballs. However, in 2023 Payton has a quarterback who might need the support of the ground game. How run-heavy could the Broncos be this season? Let’s take a look.

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Starters: Javonte Williams/Samaje Perine

The Broncos are set up with a great starter in Javonte Williams, but they also have a starting caliber back in Samaje Perine. With Russell Wilson under center, I imagine the Broncos will run early and often. That means there’s plenty of work to go around for both Williams and Perine. In fact, I believe there could be a near 50-50 split between the two – especially early in the season as Williams is still not one year removed from a multiple ligament knee injury that required surgery.

Williams has looked good this offseason, and he’s certainly further along in his recovery than most anyone (including myself) expected. At the Scouting Combine earlier this year, Broncos GM George Paton seemed to suggest that Williams would be ready for the start of training camp and the regular season. I thought that was an outlandish timeline since Williams was recovering from that late-October injury. Well, here we are in the summer with less than a month before camp, and Williams has been nearly a full participant in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. I don’t think he’ll do much in the preseason, but Williams should mostly be a full participant in training camp at the end of July.

I can’t wait to see Williams out there running over people again. He’s one of the most punishing runners in the league, and I don’t think that injury will rob him of that ability. Williams’ game was never about speed, so if he’s a bit slower I don’t think we’ll notice much. I’ve seen him move quickly and fluidly this offseason, and I imagine when the pads come on, we’ll see vintage Williams. He’ll need to get hit and take a hit on the knee to feel fully confident, but that might happen in practice – and it will certainly happen in the regular season.

Williams reminded me of Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) when he came out of North Carolina a few years ago, and that’s why I had a first-round grade on him. He was my no.1 running back that year, ahead of Alabama’s Najee Harris who many had in the top spot. I believe in Williams and his ability to run the rock. However, I also believe this injury may mean we never see Williams play up to his full potential. While Chubb has multiple 1,000-yard seasons and is considered the best runner in the game (by many), Williams may have to be used in a running-back-by-committee to ensure that he stays fresh.

Don't forget about Javonte Williams pic.twitter.com/HWRfS9W0BP

— Blaiden Kirk (@blaiden) June 26, 2023

Perine could be the lead back and be productive if called upon. In fact, if Williams was not as far ahead in his recovery as he is, Perine could have been the main man in the backfield and the Broncos would not miss much of a beat. It’s only a positive that Williams will be ready for Week 1, and now Perine will be the “1A” in the backfield.

He was a fourth-round pick of Washington in the 2017 NFL Draft. I had a mid-round grade on him, but I loved Perine’s game as a power player. He’s basically a bowling ball with legs and knows how to punish defenders every time he rushes the ball. In fact, it was that style that worked against Perine earlier in his career. Instead of looking for rushing lanes, Perine would constantly look for contact and his yards-per-carry average suffered.

Once he left Washington, Perine seemed like a fringe player who might be classified as a ‘what might have been’ type of player. Running back is a brutal position, and guys don’t last long in the league if they don’t produce. Now, in this pass-happy league, backs must be adept in pass protection, and they must bring some receiving ability to the table. It took a couple of stints with the Cincinatti Bengals (2019, 2020-2022) and part of a year (2019) with the Miami Dolphins, but things began to click for Perine. Last year with the Bengals, he was an integral part of what that high-powered offense produced. He’s much different now than he used to be.

Not all bad for Samaje Perine pic.twitter.com/YM5cmpz5fN

— Ben Cummins (@BenCumminsFF) August 11, 2017

I like the way Perine has rounded out his game. I loved him coming out of college, but that was mostly because of his intent as a power runner. After struggling to produce in Washington, Perine has become a three-down player who can thrive as a runner or receiver out of the backfield. Oh yeah, he’s still a monster of a power back too.

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Backups: Tony Jones Jr, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin

We may only see three running backs make the 53-man roster. Williams and Perine are locks (of course) but this talented backfield behind them may only see one make the active roster. If three are kept (along with a fullback), then I’m sure one – or maybe two – of these guys is bound for the practice squad. Some tough decisions are going to have to be made, and hopefully no other team steals one of these guys away.

I watched Tony Jones Jr years ago at the East-West Shrine Game. In 2020, Jones was chosen to play in the game, and I like what he did during the week of practice. He showed the three-down skill set he had in college at Notre Dame, and Jones also flashed speed and discipline as a runner. The Payton-led Saints added him as an undrafted free agent, and he played in New Orleans from 2020-2022. The Seahawks added him last year as well, and now he finds his way back to Payton with the Broncos. Every team needs a back like Jones, and it might be tough for some of the other players to unseat him as the favorite to land the no.3 job behind Williams and Perine.

Last year in one game, Tyler Badie showed he belonged on an NFL field. A sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 NFL draft, Badie spent most of his rookie season on their practice squad. In late December, the Broncos plucked him away from the Ravens and put him on the active roster. In Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Badie only played nine snaps and he was only targeted once – but he caught that pass for a 24-yard touchdown. On that play, Badie showed much of the skill he flashed in college at Missouri. He’s an explosive player and a great receiving option out of the backfield. If Badie doesn’t make the team, expect another team to pluck him away just like the Broncos did last December.

Perhaps my favorite rookie undrafted free agent this year (regardless of position) is Jaleel McLaughlin. He’s college football’s all-time leading rusher, and when you watch his film at Youngtstown State you see a pure playmaker. In collegiate games, McLaughlin had 1,250 rushing attempts for 8,166 rushing yards and 79 rushing touchdowns. There’s so much to like about his game, and McLaughlin could be the next in a long line of UDFAs to make the final roster coming out of training camp.

McLaughlin is a blur. Seriously, he’s a blur on the football field. He’s got serious burst, and he can accelerate in the blink of an eye. McLaughlin is a smaller back, but he’s not afraid to mix it up between the tackles. He’s what I call an “inside/out” runner with home-run speed. In addition to his skill as a runner, McLaughlin is a great receiver. He’s not just a guy who can catch passes out of the backfield. McLaughlin can run routes like a receiver, and he can line up in the slot if asked. If he proves himself in pass protection (a huge key for rookie backs), McLaughlin could get on the field as an explosive playmaker for the Broncos.

Jaleel McLaughlin brought that Nashville Jet Fuel to Youngstown State and left some vapor trails through this SEC defense… #NFLDraft

Almost burns as good as Prince’s Fried Chicken. pic.twitter.com/D7eev7SxQx

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 24, 2023

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We’ll see plenty of snaps for these backs as camp and the preseason rolls on. The Broncos are going to run, run, run. Then, they’re going to run some more. That means the players filling up the depth chart are going to get plenty of work.

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