frustrating 9-8 season<\/a>.<\/p>\nThat year, Alvin Kamara had 18.5 carries and 22.1 touches per contest. No Payton running back in his years as a head coach has ever had such a workload. That\u2019s an outlier.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s working, it looks more like it did the previous two seasons, when Kamara and Latavius Murray shared the duties and New Orleans\u2019 offense flourished. In each of those campaigns, Kamara averaged 18 touches in his 15 games played; Murray had 11.3 in his 15 contests.<\/p>\n
Most years in Payton\u2019s offenses, there ends up being a clear RB1 and RB2. Only four times in his 17 previous seasons as a head coach was there less than a 2-touches-per-game difference between RB1 and RB2, and that hasn\u2019t happened since 2011.<\/p>\n
Last year, the gap from RB1 to RB2 \u2014 Javonte Williams to Jaleel McLaughlin \u2014 was 2.6 touches per game; Williams averaged 11.2 touches in the 17 games in which he played; McLaughlin had 8.6 during the 16 games in which he took part.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s much about which to be excited with Harvey; his burst is exceptional and his vision appears to be top-notch. He showed ample potential as a pass catcher in offseason work; his catch-and-run on a wheel route showed the sort of dynamic potential he possesses.<\/p>\n
But pass protection will take some time for him. He has the body type to hold up well, and his background as a quarterback gives him a base from which he can learn to diagnose blitzes and help keep Bo Nix upright.<\/p>\n
Dobbins offers more security there, and he remains a dynamic runner. If he stays healthy, he could offer a bit more peace of mind in a RB1 role early, with Harvey having the chance to grow into a larger role as the year progresses.<\/p>\n
That said, keep the expectations within reason for Harvey\u2019s production. A timeshare will place a natural cap on his workload, and his final tally of touches may have more to do with Dobbins\u2019 health and whether the six-year running back can avoid the injury misfortune that has caused him to miss more games than he\u2019s played to date.<\/p>\n
Adjusted to a 17-game season, the average RB1 for Payton has posted 239 touches a season \u2014 which would be 14.1 per game \u2014 and the average RB2 has notched 156 \u2014 which would translate to 9.2 touches per game.<\/p>\n
Keep those numbers in mind when you watch Dobbins and Harvey work together in their first Broncos seasons.<\/p>\n
JALEEL McLAUGHLIN: NEVER OVERLOOK HIM<\/p>\n
Before looking at the rest of the Broncos\u2019 running backs, McLaughlin merits his own discussion.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s at work before sunrise. Few put in more film study. He extracts every drop from his talent and his 5-foot-7, 187-pound body.<\/p>\n
And late last year, when the Broncos\u2019 running game became a three-man committee and Payton struggled to figure out how to disperse the carries among a trio, it was McLaughlin who was the most reliable contributor.<\/p>\n
The arrival of Dobbins and Harvey and the tweaked kickoff rule could provide McLaughlin a chance to settle into a perfect role: a change-of-pace weapon who gets four to six touches a game \u2014 but opportunities that you\u2019ll remember.<\/p>\n
And when he checks into the game, opponents will take note. That opens horizons for McLaughlin\u2019s Broncos teammates, as his speed makes him a threat that is ignored at a foe\u2019s peril.<\/p>\n
WHO WILL FILL OUT THE BRONCOS\u2019 RB ROOM?<\/p>\n
It depends what skill set the Broncos want.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s about power, Audric Estim\u00e9 probably remains the best bet, although any hopes of gaining traction will be lost if he can\u2019t reduce his fumble rate from last year, a storyline that has been well-detailed and need not be belabored.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s about pass-catching ability, fellow second-year back Blake Watson has the edge, but his problem has been availability. He missed time late during OTAs and saw his start to training camp delayed last year.<\/p>\n
Watson made the Broncos roster out of training camp last season, but has largely failed to get untracked, even though Payton raved about his potential during the production meeting prior to the Week 16 Thursday Night Football game last year, as Kirk Herbstreit relayed on the broadcast.<\/p>\n
Then, Watson went out and had a nifty red-zone catch to set up an opening-drive touchdown.<\/p>\n
For all-around skills \u2014 and blocking dependability \u2014 Tyler Badie would get the nod.<\/p>\n
This being Badie\u2019s fourth year with the Broncos, he is the best blocker among himself, Estim\u00e9 and Watson, owing to the experience through practice repetitions.<\/p>\n
But with Badie, there\u2019s another factor that comes into play with his distance from his draft year: the ability to slip him through to the practice squad.<\/p>\n
Chances are, the Broncos would be able to pass him through waivers and sign him to the practice squad to provide depth if so needed, and then could use three elevations on him before returning him to the 53-player roster.<\/p>\n
Thus, if needed, the Broncos could play the type of roster-gymnastics game with him that they did with Lil\u2019Jordan Humphrey and fullback Michael Burton last season.<\/p>\n
Or, they could simply keep him there as experienced depth, and then if Harvey or Dobbins suffer an injury, Badie would get a game-day jersey and become one of the two primary running backs, returning to a role he was set to have in Week 4 last year before suffering a back injury.<\/p>\n
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