Denver Broncos snag a sleeper running back off Ravens practice squad
The Denver Broncos have one eye on the future at this point in time, or maybe they’re just glancing at the present with two eyes on the future. Whatever the case, the team has been making some intriguing roster moves in the last few weeks to make sure certain guys are on the 53-man roster and under contract beyond this season without having to try and convince some to come back as “reserve/futures” contract players.
Even with Latavius Murray, Marlon Mack, and Chase Edmonds on the active roster at the running back position, it appears as though George Paton and the pro scouting department are intrigued to take a look at Baltimore Ravens sixth-round pick Tyler Badie, who has been on the practice squad this year, much to the chagrin of Ravens fans.
Sounds like Badie could be added to the Broncos 53-man. https://t.co/ZIoYWptvkF
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 29, 2022
What does Tyler Badie bring to the table for the Denver Broncos?
Looking ahead to the 2023 NFL season, the Denver Broncos are absolutely in the right to be collecting some backs. They have Chase Edmonds under contract for next year after acquiring him in the Bradley Chubb trade with the Miami Dolphins, but given his somewhat hefty cap hit, it’s possible he could be a cap casualty in the offseason.
Latavius Murray and Marlon Mack are both scheduled to hit free agency, though it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Broncos to bring one or both of them back on one-year deals to at least compete in the offseason program.
One way or the other, the Broncos have to have contingency plans in place for Javonte Williams, whose knee injury early this season has put the start of his 2023 season at least slightly in jeopardy. Even if Williams is able to come back to full strength at the start of the 2023 season, it’s unreasonable for the Broncos to expect him to be the absolute workhorse he was expected to be in 2022.
A player like Tyler Badie, who caught a ton of passes in college at Missouri, can be an intriguing change of pace and upside type of back.
Tyler Badie was drafted with pick 196 of round 6 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 6.42 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 586 out of 1632 RB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/FRhCkFuw49 #RAS #Ravens pic.twitter.com/ajN58oPAIO
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022
Badie is obviously a smaller back but he’s got some explosiveness and long speed to him. He led the SEC last year in rushing with over 1,600 yards on the ground and also was one of the most successful backs in college football when it comes to converting screen passes into positive plays for the offense.
This isn’t to say Badie is going to step into the starting lineup for the Broncos here against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it might not be a terrible idea for the team to get him some snaps and see what he can do out there. If nothing else, you like to see the Denver Broncos front office taking a calculated risk on a player that was drafted in round six this past year, someone who has talent and upside to contribute if only in a limited role for your offense.
Could we see Badie suit up for the Broncos in Kansas City? That remains to be seen, but the team is obviously buying some into his future as an NFL player.