Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has added more of a workload to RJ Harvey, both on and off the field, and the exciting thing about that is that we haven’t come close to seeing fully what the second-round rookie can do. In Payton’s eyes, we will.
After Wednesday’s practice ahead of the Broncos’ AFC West matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Payton spoke to the media and talked about how important the little details are in the grand scheme of winning games, but he also addressed Denver’s rookie rusher, who has now taken over the primary workload in the rushing attack after J.K. Dobbins’ injury.
RJ Harvey is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football, and we started to see little bits and pieces about what he can do, especially if Payton and the offense commit to the run game a little more consistently.
He’s flashy, can burst in between the tackles, runs through contact, and can have home run capability at any moment as a rusher or as a pass catcher out of the backfield. We just haven’t seen all of it fully piece itself together yet, and Payton talked about it.
“There’s that saying, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet,’” Payton said. “He still has this rare running skill set that you’re going to see and continue to… We knew he was really good with the ball in his hands, catching it. A former quarterback. He’s being thrust into… There’s a lot that goes into it. Vegas is going through it with [Raiders RB Ashton] Jeanty. We as coaches like identify, ‘How do we get him…’ Even to where you’re looking at, ‘How do we get him the touches he needs?’ [RB] Jaleel [McLaughlin] and even [RB] Tyler [Badie]. ‘How do we manage that and make sure they’re doing the things they do well?’ There’s a little puzzle to it, but when it comes to… There are certain things he has to be able to do in protection. It doesn’t mean he has to be our third-down protecting back, but when we run a play on second… It can’t just be handoffs when he’s in there. He’s good with protection. He’s put together well. He’s smart. He’s just quiet. You guys that have talked to him. You really have to poke him to get something out of him, but I think that’s just his nature.”
Right now, Denver is navigating the running back rotation with Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Tyler Badie, and that process will likely have to figure itself out sooner rather than later as the team pushes on through these final five games.
The Broncos’ rushing production as a team has dropped off since Ben Powers’ injury, where they averaged 140.3 rushing yards per game, and the loss of Dobbins has also impacted that. Now they’re averaging 119.3, which is good for 14th in the league compared to the previous 4th-ranked rushing attack they were.
If Denver is going to make a deep playoff run, being able to run the ball has to be at the center of what they do offensively, which will open things up even more for Bo Nix and the passing game.