Do you guys think he has RB1 potential or should we go after someone in the offseason? I personally think he's an elite receiving back but not really a good runner. He has amazing balance and makes people miss in open space as a receiver.

45 comments

  1. Good pass catcher, below average running back. If Dobbins was healthy we wouldve won that game. 7/10.

  2. He’s *a* guy but not *the* guy in the running back room. Loved seeing how Sean used him in the passing game but he’s not an RB1 in this offense.

  3. He’s not an every down back, which is what I think you’re getting at.

    He had double-digit TDs this year and there’s no reason to think he can’t be a very good contributor out of the backfield.

    A- or B+ for sure, as far as I’m concerned.

  4. RB2 going forward. Find RB1 and that position is solved. Did much better than the Montee Ball/Royce Freeman picks of the past.

  5. It was ok… I’d say a majority of rookie RBs over the last few years have struggled first year. Need more of a sample size and experience to really judge him tbh. But I’d put it at a 5.5/10 right now. He has potential but my heart is telling me he’s not the guy and we need a legit #1 to come in right away. You can see how this team lives or dies depending on what run game shows up each week. To get better this team needs consistency and balance and we did not have that.

  8. Agree with common sentiment, we need another back to carry most of the load. Even with drops, RJ was pretty good as a pass catcher and adds a lot more there. 

    His future can be a more explosive back that can come in and gash defenses for big chunks after a bigger back has worn them down. He just can’t carry a full load at this time.

  9. He’s more of a general offensive weapon than a true RB at this point, but he should definitely be involved heavily in the offense next season.

  10. Has potential just not elite potential. He has a lot of areas to grow in, such as vision, running through contact, etc. 7/10 rookie season, had big plays when we needed them but also lacked productivity in big moments

  11. B+. He’s going to end up an elite complimentary back and receiving weapon that averages 60ish catches per season 1200ish all purpose yards, and a bunch of TDs. He was a very strong draft pick.

  12. Kamara 2.0 but this offense needs more weapons actual playmakers and desperately need an every down playmaker TE

  13. He could be a top-tier change of pace back. Expecting him to run between the tackles is a lot to ask of a 5’8” 205lb back. I think if we get 1 or two guys that are threats down hill Payton will be able to do some funky stuff with Harvey to get him outside the box.

    He has shown a great ability to make the first guy miss which is huge in a spread-like offense. If we get a downhill threat that makes defenses respect the run then I think Harvey will take a big step.

  14. Too soon to tell. Payton’s system is a two back system, and we didn’t have a complimentary back after Dobbins went down.

    He has great hands, a nose for the endzone, is hard to bring down, and excellent speed and shiftiness. His pass blocking also really improved.

  16. I’d give him a B+… he’s not an every down back and needs a running mate. But I love him in that 3rd down/ change of pace role. He’s exactly what Darren Sproles was. Really hope we sign a lead back this offseason. Jk was great but he’s never available late in the season. Would love to draft Jonah Coleman..

  17. I’d give him an A-

    He was asked to carry the load after Dobbins and he was a baller.

  18. He’s extremely versatile. Not many RBs in the league you can actually feel good about sending out wide on a route, and he can actually do it.

    He’s also tough to tackle in open space.

    He’s not great as a traditional running back.

    Basically I think he would be great as part of a 2 or 3 back system but he’s not a bellcow and we need a guy who can do traditional RB work better.

  19. I’d agree with a lot of responses, a solid C+. Fantastic pass catcher and pretty elusive in space, but not impactful as a downhill runner. I think he needs to work on his vision and anticipation, but I can’t fully fault him for some of those runs. Plenty of missed blocks out there that left him dead to rights in the backfield.

    I’d love to keep him as a RB2, especially with a rookie contract, and paired with a true RB1 like Dobbins, he could be a solid contributor. When you watch other backs like Kenneth Walker last during the NFCCG, it feels so vital to have a RB who can run after contact, be patient to find lanes, and get some great gains on 1st down. Too often, we were in 3rd and long situations because of ineffective runs on 1st down.

    He should not be our RB1 next season if we move on from Dobbins.

  20. Honestly, he’s a better slot WR than RB. I’d love to get a true RB1 or resign Dobbins next year and use RJ as a Deebo Samuel type of dude. He’s great in space with the ball in his hands. Well below average handing it off between the tackles.

  23. He’s got great pass catching skills. There were times, including yesterday, where he gutted out an 8-yard gain when nothing was there. There were other times where he just pinballed backwards in situations where Dobbins would have gotten four yards. If Dobbins somehow stays healthy for a full season, I’d love the combination of backs. But unfortunately we’re not sure Dobbins can do that and they’re going to have to find someone else to profile as the primary early down RB.

  25. He’s a high talent guy. Great pass catching, pass blocking, amazing in the open field. His only issue is vision at the point of attack. He needs to get better at being patient while a hole developed and at hitting the hole hard when it does. If he can, the 1-3 missed tackles he usually generates will be on the other side of the hole instead of at the los. Hopefully he gets better at that as he has all the tools to be a workhorse back with huge upside if he does.

  27. Receiving Back: 8/10

    RJ is genuinely one of the better receivers out of the backfield in the league. He’s had a couple mistakes but is honestly one of our best weapons downfield. When given the ball in space he has great ability to beat out the first few defenders and gain crucial yards.

    Rushing Back: 2/10

    I honestly don’t know how you can struggle more than Javonte without ligaments in his knee. Across the season and playoffs RJ had 3.6 ypc placing him as one of the least efficient backs in the league. 15% of his yards came on two runs against two of the worst defenses in the league. Outside of these two carries, RJ only had 507 yards on 163 carries (3.1 ypc)

    Overall: 6/10

    RJ has promise as a receiving back but very little upside as a rusher right now. Given he’s only a few days away from 25, it’s highly unlikely that he makes significant improvements as a rusher with a RB’s peak during development typically occurring around 26-27 with the falloff beginning around 28-29. He’s a great change of pace back that would benefit from being second fiddle to an average sized or larger back that can take a majority of short down and inside runs. Ideally with his skillset we would’ve drafted him in the third or fourth round.

  28. I’d say 6/10. He’s not a bad RB but he’s not *the* RB1 guy that the Broncos need. He’s a great pass catcher however and I do think we should keep him as an RB2 especially on his rookie contract.

    Since we will be free from the Russell Wilson debacle, I hope we use the extra $$$ to get ourselves a true RB1

  29. He’s significantly more dangerous on the passing game than he is the running game. We missed Dobbins yesterday for sure. I’d give him a B-.

  30. I think Harvey deserves a lot more love from the fanbase for what he was able to help us accomplish this year. He was not a great runner between the tackles, but I feel like that is being overblown for two reasons:

    1. Our OL doesn’t get a ton of push, and our TEs absolute suck at run blocking to the point that we have to limit outside runs
    2. A dominant running game carrying a team to a super bowl is a thing of the past. In today’s NFL, almost every team gives themselves a better shot when they throw the ball the majority of the time, and use the run game in a more supplemental/situational way

    And let’s look at the things he did well. He was a legit weapon as a pass catcher and after the catch, honestly one of the best we had all season. He protected the ball, only one fumble all year. And he still looked like he had some juice after a full NFL season where he played in every game, and managed to stay healthy the full year as well.

    I really don’t think Broncos country should be down on Harvey at all. I’m excited to see how his career shakes out. If I have to give him a grade, I’m giving him a B+

  31. He’s a great weapon, but not an every down back. If we had someone like Dobbins but who doesn’t get injured every year, it would be a perfect backfield. But hes not RB1 material from what we’ve seen.

    That said, I watched him need to break tackles in the backfield constantly. Especially vs NE. I think he has a lot of potential, but we really need to get someone who can run inside for shot downs.

  32. A. He’s not the best runner but he’s elite out of the backfield and around the red zone.

  33. Great in the open field/passing. Bad at running(this year). But I’m not blind, despite everyone drooling over our O Line stats, I see Harvey and Jaleel hit behind the LOS more times than not. So I don’t blame them fully. Cook and pats RB’s get / yards before contact almost every play.

  34. Overall, disappointing from the running perspective, very decent catching the ball, although had too many drops.

    He made some plays, which was nice to see. But he really needs to figure out how to attack the LOS in the run game and stop stalling out and then getting stuffed. When he’s actually running, he’s good and hard to tackle, but his vision needs some serious work.

  35. If we retain Dobbins we’ll definitely have one of the best backfields in the NFL with him and Bo

  36. He’s got long-term potential as a complimentary back, but we still need to find the back that compliments him to really get the most. I’d be fine bringing Dobbins back again, but he’s not the long-term answer to pair with Harvey

  38. C+. Was asked to be the bell cow and just really wasn’t. Not his fault but if he’s capped at being an elite rb2 spending an early 40s pick on him will sting a bit. Scored tds and caught passes but in between the tackles was simply abysmal. Need a huge upgrade at the position

  40. Lots of reactions in here. My take – he’s a solid RB1 (will likely be top 10-15 in the NFL for a while)

    Can anyone give me 10 names of RBs you’d rather have instead of RJ right now? Consider we have him on a rookie salary for 3 more seasons

  41. He had a great rookie season but he’s not a bruiser back. He’s not the guy to hand it to on 3rd and short and keep the chains moving. He’s explosive but too small to pickup short yardage when needed. He’s will always need someone to complement him in the backfield

  42. Very underwhelmed by Harvey. It showed in the AFC title game he was not capable of carrying the team. We should make a play for Breece Hall.

  44. B+.  Guy stepped up and played great in the absence of Dobbins. Kept us on the road to the playoffs 

  45. Harvey showed potential and explosiveness, but was limited with Sean Payton’s predictable play calling,

    Get a real OC sand let him go to work, then we can see what Harvey is capable of.

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