The Denver Broncos not only suffered a devastating division loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, but they also lost promising second-year running back Javonte Williams for the season with a torn ACL. To add insult to injury, the Denver Broncos anticipated “Robin” to Javonte Williams “Batman” in Melvin Gordon has been atrocious this season leading to third-stringer Mike Boone getting plenty of snaps in the second half of Sunday’s game.
Through the first four games, the running game hasn’t been great, but there have been solid signs, mostly when Javonte Williams is toting the rock, Outside of that, it’s been mixed results. The aging Melvin Gordon is only averaging 3.8 yards per carry right now (prior to Thursday night’s game) and you could argue that his fumbles have cost the Denver Broncos a 4-0 record. At this point, many in Broncos Country just want Melvin Gordon gone, including me.
Behind him is Mike Boone who has 78 total carries over five NFL seasons and has done nothing to prove he is more than a special teams guy.
Meanwhile, George Paton did steal former Pro-Bowler Latavius Murray from the Saints practice squad, and it wouldn’t shock me if Murray becomes the lead guy by season’s end.
None of that, however, solves the Denver Broncos’ problem for next year. Who is going to be RB1 for the Broncos? Modern medicine has shown guys like Javonte Williams can come back and be successful but it’s still not a guarantee that he will ever be the same player. Melvin Gordon better not be resigned, and neither Mike Boone nor Latavius Murray inspires hope with a full offseason available to fix a once-promising-now-broken running back position.
Making matters worse, the cupboard is bare in terms of draft picks after landing Russell Wilson this offseason so count out the possibility of trading for Kareem Hunt or Christian McCaffery.
Here are five realistic running back options for the Denver Broncos heading into 2023.
Denver Broncos could pursue Josh Jacobs
The Denver Broncos aren’t swimming in cap space next year with roughly $25 million in free space, but that should be plenty to land a decent running back to fill the potential void of Javonte Williams, especially with only a few key 2022 members needing to be resigned.
Looking at free agency, one guy immediately stands out because of how he always torches the Denver Broncos and that is Josh Jacobs. The former first-round pick out of Alabama has had a disappointing career to this point, didn’t get his 5th-year option picked up, and was seemingly in Josh McDaniels’ doghouse this offseason. His chances of being a Las Vegas Raider next year are slim.
If you’re the Denver Broncos, why not take a chance here? Despite having logged over 800 carries in his NFL career, Jacobs’ legs should be relatively fresh given his limited usage at Alabama, and he has wrecked Denver in recent seasons. In fact, three of his five 100-yard games in the last three years have come against Denver including Sunday’s 28-carry/144-yard performance.
Jacobs will not be commanding top dollar with a projected market value of under $10M, leaving him in the second-tier of running backs. And to some Bronco fans, most importantly, we shouldn’t have to worry about fumble issues with Jacobs only putting the rock on the ground six times over four seasons.
Denver Broncos could pursue Rashaad Penny
Former first-round pick Rashaad Penny has yet to “break out” since joining the NFL from San Diego State. The Seattle Seahawks have deployed a running back by committee approach throughout his tenure and a torn ACL in 2019 didn’t help him either in terms of being “the guy”. This year, however, has been a different story.
With former running mate Chris Carson announcing his sudden retirement this past offseason and the Seahawks needing to rely on a ground game more often without Russell Wilson, Penny has had a quietly good 5th year.
Through four games, Penny has rushed for 292 yards on 49 carries for a healthy 6.0 yards per attempt average. His total yards rank 12th in the NFL and his yards per attempt average ranks 4th amongst running backs.
Despite being in the league for five seasons, Penny will only be 27 heading into next season and has only 817 total carries between his collegiate and NFL career. For reference, Jacobs has almost 800 carries in his NFL career and Saquon Barkley has over 1,300 carries combined between his time at Penn State and now with the New York Giants.
Will Penny leave the Seahawks? That remains to be seen. They didn’t give him a 5th-year option, but they did resign him to a 1-year/$5.75 million prove-it type of deal. Will Penny leave for a team that shows more faith? It’s possible and worth George Paton exploring. If Javonte Williams is able to come back, Denver would have a nice two-headed monster similar to what they were hoping to have with Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon. If Javonte Williams isn’t able to return right away or get back to form, Penny would be a formidable number-one back.
Denver Broncos could pursue Jamaal Williams
While I wouldn’t say Jamaal Williams arriving in Denver will get Denver Broncos fans excited, it would be a solid, under-the-radar addition that would make a ton of sense given head coach Nathanial Hackett’s tenure in Green Bay overlapping with Williams.
Despite never getting starter-level carries over the course of a season, Williams has proven to be an effective number-two back who can spot-start when needed. More importantly, his highest carry volume in one season was last year in Detroit with 153 rushing attempts so the wear and tear have been limited.
Also of note, he has proven to be a serviceable receiving back out of the backfield with 153 catches in his career for 1,148 yards which is a 7.5-yard-per-carry average.
At 28, Williams is the kind of guy, the Denver Broncos could land for cheaper (he’s only earning $3M a year on a 2-year deal in Detroit) than Josh Jacobs or Rashaad Penny and feel comfortable going into next season if Javonte Williams is unable to come back right away.
Geographically speaking, Williams is from California and went to school at BYU. Making his way to the Mile High City would get him closer to family.
Denver Broncos could pursue David Montgomery
Former Iowa State running back David Montgomery is likely playing his last year in Chicago. He is in the final year of his rookie deal and we’ve seen Khalil Herbert break out in the absence of Montgomery (out with an injury). This Chicago Bears squad is limited on talent and hope for the future and teams like that typically don’t try to keep around tier-2 running backs like David Montgomery.
This is a perfect buy-low opportunity for George Paton and the Denver Broncos.
He has spent his entire career playing behind a terrible Bears offensive line and has still managed to average 4.0 yards per carry for his career with his highs of 4.5 (this year) and 4.3 (in 2020). You don’t bring Montgomery in simply for his running ability though. You bring him in because he is incredibly versatile. He has 126 receptions in just a little over three years.
Although Sportrac projects Montgomery’s market value at $12.9M next year, I can’t possibly fathom that being the case given what is likely going to be this disappointing season. I think it is more likely he signs a deal for an annual average value between Rashaad Penny’s $6M from last year and Josh Jacobs’ projected $9M.
Denver Broncos could look to the 2023 NFL Draft
If the Denver Broncos choose to now sign one of the top free-agent running backs in the 2023 offseason, they will likely be turning their attention to snagging a running back out of college. And to be honest, even if they do snag a free-agent running back, they are likely targeting a running back in the 2023 class anyways.
The only issue is that Denver has limited draft capital to work with. Fortunately, running back is a position where value has historically been found throughout the entire NFL Draft and even in the undrafted free agent classes. Heck, the greatest running back in Denver Broncos history, Terrell Davis, was a 6th round pick.
While the college football season is still young and there is plenty of time for movers up and down at the running back position, right now it appears guys like Michigan’s Blake Corum, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs could be available on day two or even early on day three.
Blake Corum is an explosive running back averaging 6.6 yards per carry in his junior season at Michigan to go along with 2 touchdowns per game. He is elusive (22 missed tackles forced this season), but doesn’t project as an every-down back.
Zach Charbonnet is a bit bigger of a back than Blake Corum and projects better as an every-down running back at the next level. Even with more size and strength than Corum, he still provides explosiveness to be a breakaway kind of guy. He also can contribute in the passing game.
Finally, Jahmyr Gibbs is an interesting draft prospect. He’s not as big as Charbonnet and doesn’t possess as good of vision as Corum, but he has soft hands and breakaway speed. He is averaging 8.8 yards per carry and has the 4th highest breakaway percentage amongst qualifying NCAA running backs.
Denver Broncos 5 bold predictions vs. Colts on Thursday Night
The Denver Broncos need to get back on track quickly against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football. Here are five bold predictions.
As we get closer to the draft, we will continue breaking down potential running back draft candidates for the Denver Broncos because as I mentioned earlier, even if George Paton signs a free agent, he will likely be dipping his toes back into the draft to see if he can uncover some running back gems.