Can Tyler Badie make a case to be Broncos’ RB1?

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. — What Tyler Badie brings to the Denver Broncos’ ground game couldn’t be more clear, and his 8.6-yards-per-carry average — which would still be 4.8 yards even if you removed his 43-yard jaunt last Sunday from the calculus — is only the beginning.

His burst to the hole is quick — the fastest consistently displayed from a Broncos running back so far this season. In Tampa last Sunday, his runs provided the final punches that knocked a staggering Tampa Bay defense to the canvas.

And now Badie finds himself on the 53-player roster, with a chance to build on the impression he’s made in just 10 carries so far this season.

“I see that he makes a quick decision and just hits it as hard as he can and kind of sees what happens,” Broncos right guard Quinn Meinerz said. “And that was kind of what happened on those last couple plays.

“The defense was a little bit tired at the end there. It was a hot game, and I think he was just, he was just hitting it hard and falling forward.”

Meinerz was not the only person around the Broncos to note the decisiveness of Tyler Badie. Sean Payton did, too.

“He’s been really decisive. He’s had some big runs for us,” Payton said. “He’s smart. He knows the system. He’s good in the passing game; he brings a lot.”

Broncos OL Quinn Meinerz on Tyler Badie: “I see that he makes a quick decision and just hits it as hard as he can and kind of sees what happens. And that was kind of what happened on those last couple plays. You know, the defense was a little bit tired at the end there. You know,… pic.twitter.com/o244NDqpzQ

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 27, 2024

BUT WHERE CAN TYLER BADIE END UP FITTING?

Some of that will depend on how Broncos coaches opt to use the other two running backs currently among the players activated each week: Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Each has a 2.2-yards-per-carry average. Williams hasn’t averaged 4.0 yards per carry in his last 13 games.

Through three games this season, they have 92 yards on 42 carries. Badie has almost as many — 86 yards — on not even one-fourth the rushing attempts (10).

But that doesn’t mean Badie instantly soars to the top of the depth chart — in part because the Broncos aren’t willing to jettison their putative top two backs.

“I think, the players that you have, you know that just because the stats are telling you that they’re not gaining a bunch of yards doesn’t mean that they’ve all of a sudden turned to crap,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said.

“So, you just keep handing them the ball and know that we’ll keep getting better and the plan will keep getting better and we’ll keep blocking better and their big runs are coming.”

And Lombardi knows that the explosives won’t always be there for Badie.

“I mean, obviously Tyler got in there and had the big run and he’s a guy that we really like, but the run game is one of those things where not every run is going to be a 20-yard gain,” Lombardi said. “And you stick with it.”

That notion needs to be true no matter who carries the football. The Broncos can’t fall into the trap of ditching the run — particularly on first-and-10 plays, where they had one of the lowest run rates in the league in Weeks 1 and 2.

“So it’s just like anything, it’s tempting when you’ve run the ball a few times early and you’re not gaining yards, you just say, ‘Well, the heck with this, we’re going to just start throwing,'” Lombardi said. “And the run game’s one of those things that, if you stick with it, you’re going to start busting some runs.

“And so, it’s just a patience thing and obviously just getting better when we do run it.”

The Broncos’ patience may not have run out with Williams and McLaughlin after their slow starts to the season. But if Badie continues accounting for all of the explosive runs in the group, they’ll have no viable choice but to give him more opportunities — which he would obviously merit.

Broncos OC Joe Lombardi, on Denver’s running game with Javonte Williams & Jaleel McLaughlin each averaging 2.2 YPC: “You stick with it … just because the stats are telling you that they’re not gaining a bunch of yards doesn’t mean that they’ve all of a sudden turned to crap.” pic.twitter.com/HGr8m1mBoe

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 26, 2024