Sean Payton's offseason moves show how little he trusts these players

When it was all said and done, the Broncos added an enormous amount to their offensive core and let some key pieces from last year walk. Most notably, Denver overhauled their running back room. Their running backs were lackluster at best last year and seemed to get significantly worse as the season carried on. Hope wilted for Javonte Williams, who is now a backup on the Dallas Cowboys. Jaleel McLoughlin and Audric Estime failed to show they can be legitimate backs in the NFL, and both shot down the Broncos' depth chart as a result.

There was plenty of hype and hope for McLaughlin after he impressed as a UDFA in pre-season 2023, and he eventually became a solid complementary piece for Denver's future. As his workload increased in 2024, his production technically decreased. In 30 more touches from the year before, McLaughlin totaled just two more scrimmage yards and saw his receiving yards plummet from 9.8 yards per game to just 4.8. As a rusher, his average yards per game only increased by seven yards.

The Denver Broncos just don't trust these players

Along with the disappointing McLaughlin came a disappointment from Audric Estime, who many had hoped for as a 5th round selection out of Notre Dame. After not playing for a few weeks after the start of the year, Estime averaged just six attempts and under 25 yards a game to end the season. In total, he landed just 310 yards on 76 rushing attempts, becoming a healthy scratch for Denver's Wild Card game in Buffalo. Neither back gave any singular reason to believe they can step up in 2025, so Sean Payton did what he had to do: he added over them.

With the additions of JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey, Denver seems to have their strongest backfield pairing since the days of rookie Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon in 2021, when both rushers finished just shy of 1,000 yards. Dobbins presents a true running back for Sean Payton to lean on and a stable hand in the backfield with Bo Nix. Aside from being a strong pass protector, Dobbins would have cruised past 1,000 yards last season if he had not gotten hurt. In just 13 games, Dobbins totaled 905 yards, putting him on pace for well over 1,100 yards over a 17-game stretch.

As Dobbins figures to be atop the Denver depth chart, RJ Harvey figures to be number two, and a fun piece for Sean Payton to work with. Harvey capped off a career as arguably UCF's best offensive weapon since former Bronco Brandon Marshall. Now that he is finally signed, Harvey figures to be a major piece to a Broncos team that was ranked as the 6th-best starting lineup in football by ESPN.

Harvey led the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in 2024. He amassed a mind-boggling 1,844 scrimmage yards last season, put together by 1,577 on the ground and 267 through the air. Over his 12 games, that came out to an average of 131 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards per contest.

As a second-round selection, Harvey is all but a lock to be a factor in the Broncos' offense this year, and his explosiveness out of the backfield, both as a runner and a receiver, can unlock some serious potential for Denver. While this unfolds, odds are Estime and McLaughlin watch from the sidelines as their opportunities might have passed them by.