Broncos RB gets a big promotion, could be a sign of things to come

Many in Broncos Country may be struggling to pronounce his name but Tyler Badie’s game spoke for itself on Sunday and the Denver Broncos signed him to the 53-man roster on Wednesday—promoting Badie’s position from the pratice squad.

In 13 snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, Badie rushed the ball nine times for 70 yards. While Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin struggled, Sean Payton couldn’t turn to rookie Audric Estime—who is hurt—and he skipped over rookie Blake Watson in favor of Badie.

The 24-year-old got a little action in Week 2, also as a practice squad elevation. His only other NFL regular-season experience came back in 2022 when he was called up for the Broncos in a meaningless Week 18 contest. Despite not getting a chance in 2023, Badie stuck around and impressed enough in preseason to be the de facto third back no matter his placement on the roster. Now, making the most of an opportunity the 5-foot-8 runner is likely to be part of the Broncos gameplan come Week 4 in New York.

“He’s been real decisive, he’s had some big runs, he’s smart and knows the system and he knows the passing game. He brings a lot,” Payton said.

Badie’s longest NFL rush thus far, a scamper of 43 yards on Sunday, saw him get up to 20.99 MPH. That made him the third-fastest ball carrier of the weekend, and the 10th carrier this season.

With Williams struggling to start the season in his second year coming off reconstructive knee surgery and McLaughlin’s limited range as a running back and more as a gadget player, the door is open for Badie to take a serious share of the carries in the Broncos backfield. Even though Williams hasn’t been his old self in running the ball, he’s still been valuable for Denver. He has the fourth most snaps among running backs league-wide in pass protection and he hasn’t allowed a single sack or hit to Bo Nix, keeping the rookie completely clean.

Tyler Badie registered the first 70 + yard rushing performance for the Denver Broncos since Week 10 of 2023.

– Javonte Williams has 52 yards on 2.2 yards per attempt on the season

– Jaleel McLaughlin has 40 yards on 2.2 yards per attempt on the season

– Tyler Badie has 86… pic.twitter.com/zYsPCve8CL

— AngeloFF (@angelo_fantasy) September 25, 2024

The Broncos had an open roster spot becuase leading tackler Alex Singleton was placed on the IR with an ACL tear.