ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has said there is a rotation at several positions with the No. 1 offense.
It’s been evident at quarterback with Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson and first-round rookie Bo Nix each getting their shots to operate the first unit during OTAs.
There has been a rotation at center with Luke Wattenberg, Alex Forsyth and veteran Sam Mustipher each getting their day.
There also appears to be a mix of running backs working in, although it’s more difficult to tell there because each back gets one rep in the four-play set for the No. 1 offense, and then another snap in the four-play set with the No. 2 offense, and so on.
Still, second-year running back Jaleel McLaughlin isn’t hanging back watching. The Broncos’ No. 3 running back as a rookie last season behind Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, McLaughlin is getting mixed in with the top offensive line, as does Williams.
With fifth-round rookie Audric Estime, another potential candidate for the 1A running back slot, down until training camp following a recent knee scope, is the smallish McLaughlin at 5-foot-7, 187 pounds really a possibility to get the game’s first handoff during the regular season?
“It’s very possible and here’s two reasons why,’’ said former Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay, who was another smallish back at 5-foot-8, 190 yet was a two-year starter and 1,000-yard rusher in his first two seasons with the Broncos in 2018-19. ‘’One, Sean kind of latched on to Jaleel last year, right? He picked Jaleel as his undrafted rookie he liked. That says a lot.
“And two, Jaleel is showing up every day before everybody. He’s showing his work ethic. He’s showing he wants to get better.’’
Payton has noticed the work ethic in McLaughlin, who wants to expand his role from a package type player who averaged 4.4 carries and 1.8 receptions a game last year while not missing a game.
“I think his continued growth, you see it, protecting the football, very disciplined as a change-of-pace route runner,’’ Payton said this week following an OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. “I know he wants to continue to work on his role in the passing game. He’ll come up and wear me out asking for cut ups and looking at certain routes.
“But he’s here at 5:15 (in the morning), even in the offseason, first one here running in the weight room. By the time he’s at breakfast and most people are arriving, he’s put in a good hour and a half’s worth of work. It’s just the way he’s wired, and it’s impressive.”
It’s still more realistic for Williams to be the 1A back. But his sluggish finish to the 2023 season means he will be pushed through competition during the mandatory minicamp next week and when training camp commences in late-July.
“You still need Javonte,’’ Lindsay said. “But seeing Jaleel out there he could make a run for that top running back spot. But for Jaleel, don’t even worry about being the starting running back. Sean will have plans for you. Do you want Jaleel being the starter? I’m not sure because you want to keep him healthy and fresh because he’s a burst.
“He’s probably their most explosive player as a running back and Sean does a great job – he did it with Reggie Bush, he did it with Darren Sproles – he puts each running back in situations to be successful. Sean has a plan for Jaleel. And if you’re seeing he’s getting some No. 1 reps, it’s not necessarily that he’s going to be the starting running back but he’s going to be implemented more in the offense and there’s going to be plays that fit Jaleel more than they do Javonte.’’
Williams made an impressive comeback from ACL surgery last year, especially when he found his running groove around midseason. His best performance was game 7 against Green Bay when he rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries, 5.5 yards per.
But Williams slowed down the stretch as the arduous offseason rehab seemingly caught up to his legs. He averaged just 2.64 yards per carry in the Broncos last four games.
Williams said an offseason without rehab has helped.
“Yeah, I’m making progress each day,’’ Williams told reporters following an OTA practice Tuesday. “Getting 1 percent better and just trying to do the best that I can to help the team.”
He was asked two questions about his professional livelihood, one about the Broncos drafting Estime, the other about how his nonguaranteed salary for 2024 could affect his spot on the 53-man roster.
To both, Williams answered: “I just do my job.”
His job is as the lead back, but he will have to beat out McLaughlin and Estime. Perine is the third-down back with undrafted rookie Blake Watson a competitor. McLaughlin should at the very least get a larger package of change-of-pace plays.
“I’ve talked to Jaleel before and what I’ve said is don’t just be a running back,’’ Lindsay said. “Be a Swiss Army Knife. Go out there and tell them you want to be in the slot. Because in today’s football you’ve got to be a receiver, you’ve got to do the special teams. Even if you become a starter, continue to do the special teams. Because that’s what is going to keep you in the league longer.”
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