The Denver Broncos have a running-back problem, and it’s getting worse. The market for running backs is thinning, according to Luca Evans of the Denver Post, with the trade of David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions to the Houston Texans, which means the Broncos probably have fewer choices at a position coach Sean Payton labeled a “must” to address at the NFL combine.
Could that mean the return of last season’s featured back, J.K. Dobbins? It’s entirely possible, especially with the New York Jets putting the franchise tagon running back Breece Hall, who’s been a rumored to be a target for multiple teams.
Both were long-shot candidates in Denver, as Evans noted, and there’s the possibility of a perfect match here forced by necessity to at least some degree.
“We’d like to get J.K. back,” Broncos general manager George Paton said last week, on an appearance on local Denver radio station KOA. “We’ll see how that goes. Obviously, there’s others in free agency, the draft, we’re still working through.”
Evans briefly considered running back Kenneth Walker III, who’s looking to get paid after adding the Super Bowl MVP award to the ring he got this year with the Seattle Seahawks. But the Broncos enter free agency with $28 million in cap space, and it’s unlikely they’ll invest it in a running back like Walker.
Dobbins, meanwhile remains an option. He worked out fine until he got hurt, so if he’s willing to save the Broncos money while he tries to overcome his reputation as an injury risk, another one-year deal at a similar number of $2.7 million might make sense.
“My man, coach Sean Payton, I love him to death, he’s one of my favorite coaches ever,” Dobbins said last month, gushing over his time in Denver at an end-of-year presser. “[Running backs] Coach Lou Ayeni, too. It’s been a great process with everyone here. The O-line, everybody … it’s been a great time here in my short time here.
“I think I will be here. Hopefully I will. I’m a Bronco for life.”
The Broncos also still believe in RJ Harvey, too, according to Payton. He was dynamic at times with 12 touchdowns, but Harvey’s stodgy average of 3.7 yards per carry won’t get it done going forward, even if Payton says he could still be a three-down back.
“We do,” he said the coach said when asked about the possibility. “I thought he had a really good year for a rookie, and everything that was thrown to him.”
The Broncos also met with Washington running back Jonah Coleman at the combine, and he’s a dynamic big back who could also be part of the mix. Coleman said his discussion with the Broncos revolved around pass protection and play systems the Huskies run that are similar to Denver’s but he’s another possibility who might be a good choice to energize the run game.