Sean Payton smirked, the upturned mouth a tell for the 205-pound ace hidden up his sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that saying,\u201d Payton said Wednesday, asked on rookie RJ Harvey\u2019s development. \u201c\u2018You haven\u2019t seen anything yet.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Anything\u00a0arrived on Sunday, the making of a true three-down back taking shape inside a muscled-up gameplan against the Raiders.<\/p>\n
The Broncos saw Harvey as a runner, first and foremost, when they drafted him out of UCF in the second round in April. They saw the balance. The vision. Everything else \u2014 Harvey\u2019s potential as a pass-catcher, Payton said Sunday \u2014 came later. And yet, for much of his rookie season, that everything else\u00a0came first in Harvey\u2019s development:\u00a0change-of-pace runs to the outside, choice routes out of the backfield, pass-protection.<\/p>\n
When starting running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a Lisfranc injury in a Week 8 win over the Cowboys<\/a>, these Broncos needed the pieces of Harvey\u2019s newfound role to click back with what he did best at UCF. Run. And run hard. But for two games against the Chiefs and Commanders, even as he contributed in the red zone and passing game, Harvey was bottled up on the ground: 2.7 yards per carry.<\/p>\n Against the Raiders, though, Payton deployed Harvey as his battering ram behind a mighty front. Denver turned often to heavier and run-blocking-oriented groupings against Las Vegas, a 2-10 team that nonetheless flummoxed the Broncos back in a previous November matchup. And Harvey bludgeoned his way to 75 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown in the Broncos\u2019 24-14 win, adding six catches for 25 yards through the air.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dude\u2019s a freak,\u201d left tackle Garett Bolles told The Post after the game. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s a reason why we drafted him the way we drafted him. He\u2019s just getting better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n The rookie has swapped many hats in 2025, learning the intricacies of pass-protection and route-running while working behind Dobbins in a change-of-pace role. On Sunday, he finally tugged all those hats on at once. Payton drew up the first play of the game for him, a well-screened 11-yard swing pass that\u2019s become an increasingly large part of the Broncos\u2019 offense. Three plays later, quarterback Bo Nix swung the ball to Harvey again on a checkdown on a 3rd-and-3.<\/p>\n There was no hope, here. Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams read Nix perfectly and jolted Harvey as soon as he touched the ball, a full 213 pounds ramming him at full speed.<\/p>\n Harvey backpedaled a few steps, turned, and\u00a0drove\u00a0Adams into the grass in Vegas, wheeling away for a first down and a four-yard gain that felt like 40.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got good contact balance,\u201d Payton said Sunday.<\/p>\n Big-time effort by RJ Harvey to stay on his feet to pick up first down<\/p>\n DENvsLV on CBS\/Paramount+https:\/\/t.co\/HkKw7uXVnt<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QQCd0aD3R3<\/a><\/p>\n