Strike 3: Now that the dust has settled from the hectic opening of the NFL’s free agency period, things are becoming more clear for the Denver Broncos.
First, they were able to address needs in the secondary, at linebacker and a tight end. If Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and Evan Engram are all healthy and can play close to their previous standards, then the Broncos did great.
What they didn’t do was overspend on a wide receiver, which can only mean they like what they have more than most of us thought.
What they must do now, presumably in the upcoming NFL Draft, is find a true, bona fide stud running back.
The running back position has lost value since the league morphed into being pass happy roughly a decade ago. But success always changes things in a copycat league, and the success of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and star running back Saquon Barkley may put an emphasis back on the running game. At least a little bit.
The Broncos as currently constructed do not have a starting running back, much less a star. Javonte Williams already left via free agency. After him on the depth chart last season was a group of regular guys, none of whom were in the favor of head coach Sean Payton. He changed running backs like most of us change socks, going through numerous starters and even dipping into the practice squad roster to fill the position.
And he clearly never put any actual emphasis on the running game, even when he wrote notes to himself about doing so.
So, Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson, none of whom will be compared to Olandis Gary, much less Terrell Davis, are currently the running backs on Denver’s roster. But for how long?
Will the Broncos use their first-round draft pick on a running back?
That’s very clearly the single biggest position of need.
If Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is still on the board at No. 20, Denver would be absolutely stupid not to draft him. Chances are Jeanty is long gone before they pick. Could Denver trade up to grab him?
That’s not likely to happen, so the Broncos have to look elsewhere for a game changer to put in the offensive backfield. The only other RB with a first-round grade is North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. He could fit the bill. So could either one of Ohio State’s talented tandem of TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins. Later in the draft Denver could perhaps nab Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, or Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson.
Then there’s everyone’s New Year’s Day darling Cam Skattebo from Arizona State. The Human Energizer Bunny.
Given Payton’s proclivity for alternating running backs – which has never proven successful in helping a running game thrive – Denver needs to draft not one but at least two of these guys. The way a successful tandem of backs worked in the past was to alternate series, not plays. Perhaps Payton can be convinced to do that, if he has the right guys.
Imagine a Broncos backfield that featured Hampton and Skattebo, for instance. How much fun could that be?
Obviously next season’s Denver offense will revolve around Bo Nix and what he can do getting the ball to his cast of receivers. That’s the way the league still operates. But Nix’s life would be so much easier and better if he could hand the ball off to someone with the capability of breaking a long run or three every game. That kind of player is not currently on the Broncos roster. He could be by the start of OTA’s if Denver does the right thing in the draft.
