The Denver Broncos have one of the better running back duos in the National Football League through five weeks.
Veteran J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey have created a dynamic playmaking tandem that mixes up looks and speed for a Denver offense that needs to establish a dominant running game.
Dobbins is in his fifth season and first with the Broncos. He has shown he can be a No. 1 despite not having a 1,000 yard rushing season. He is well on pace to shatter 1,000 yards, sitting fifth in the league with 402 yards on just 77 carries.
Dobbins isn’t much of a threat in the passing game, but that’s where the rookie comes in.
Harvey has only logged 31 carries for 150 yards and no rushing touchdowns, but the talented second rounder has 12 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Head Coach Sean Payton appeared to have the two backs in a timeshare, but Harvey only logged four carries compared to Dobbins’ 20 in Denver’s 21-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks Harvey will continue to get reps in the passing game and will have a much higher workload if Dobbins goes down with injury.
“RJ Harvey's time is coming. Both he and J.K. Dobbins have been impressive to start the year for the Broncos, with the rookie back generating 30 RYOE on 31 carries to open his pro account,” Barnwell wrote Thursday. “Harvey also has 12 catches on the season, including one that stood out to me: a choice route out of the backfield for 16 yards against the Colts, the same sort of concept where so many Sean Payton backs have made a difference in the receiving game in the past.
“Harvey will always have a receiving workload in this version of Denver's offense, but if he can get regular opportunities against linebackers on choice routes, that's going to be a very valuable role. The Broncos can be wildly inconsistent with how they employ their playmakers on a weekly basis, but if the oft-injured Dobbins does go down for any stretch of time, Harvey could accelerate forward as a feature back.”
Until then, Dobbins and Harvey will split time and Harvey will likely see more carries as the season goes on, even if Dobbins is healthy.
The Broncos travel to London for a Week 6 matchup against the winless New York Jets.