After the team's first preseason game in San Francisco, it's clear that the Denver Broncos have a (good) problem on their hands. The team is deep on both sides of the ball, there's no question about it. The second offense absolutely obliterated the 49ers while the defense held San Francisco to just 203 total yards of offense, 50 of which came on one play on the first drive.
One of the position groups that's impossible to sort out at this point for Denver is the running back position. The Broncos have a solidified duo at the top of the depth chart with veteran JK Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey. Beyond that, there are a bunch of question marks and not enough roster spots to make heads or tails of it at this point.
Four backs, each with his own unique level of intiruge, are battling it out for likely two spots. And the Broncos can't risk subjecting any of them to waivers and completely missing out on getting any value for them whatsoever. While running backs might be a dime a dozen in the NFL, the Broncos have a healthy stable right now, and other teams are struggling badly.
Broncos and 49ers could be obvious trade partners for running back
One team that's already depleted at the offensive skill positions right now is a team that is no stranger to being depleted by skill position player injuries. The San Francisco 49ers are already dealing with injury issues and have even more of them after the preseason opener against the Broncos.
They just put Ameer Abdullah on injured reserve and brought back veteran Jeff Wilson in free agency with Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James dealing with injuries.
The Broncos have Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé, and Blake Watson fighting for jobs and it seems like only two of them will make this roster. Considering how talented all of those guys are, could the 49ers be interested in swinging a trade with Denver to boost their depth?
Even if the Broncos were only able to get a pick swap or late-round selection, it would be better than simply cutting two of those guys and hoping they make it through waivers. There are too many teams already, the 49ers included, hurting due to injuries at the position.
If the Broncos make it out of the preseason with a healthy group of backs, they need to make at least one trade so they aren't backed into a corner of just cutting a good player who might go on to contribute elsewhere. Sometimes that is the harsh reality of the NFL, but in Denver's case, there is leverage with multiple teams dealing with injuries to their running back groups.
The better these guys play in the preseason, the better chance the Broncos have of getting some type of value in return and sorting out the room for themselves.