The 2024-25 Denver Broncos season was a success. They ended two key negative droughts: Making the playoffs and finishing with a winning record. They proved many wrong, as people had Denver winning at most five games with one of the "worst" rosters in the league heading into the season. The Broncos had a 10-7 record, and their season was finished this past Sunday following a 31-7 loss against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
Following their loss in the Wild Card round and overall during the season, the Broncos have an obvious offensive need. Denver must add a top-tier running back in the offseason, or at least an above-average one, whether via trade, free agency, or the 2025 NFL Draft. Denver's rushing attack was bad throughout the season. They are the only team in the NFL that has not had at least one game with 100 or more rushing yards from the same player since 2023. Veteran Latavius Murray was the last to do it, specifically on January 8, 2023, against the Chargers.
There is something important regarding the running back room and the Broncos rushing attack in 2024. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix led the team in rushing yards in one-third of the games Denver played this season (at SEA, vs PIT, vs LAC, vs IND, vs KC, and at BUF in the Wild Card game). Javonte Williams led the team in rushing yards with 513, followed by Jaleel McLaughlin with 496, and then Bo Nix with 430. It is unacceptable that your starting running backs have similar yardage compared to the quarterback, which leads to the big need for a top-tier guy at the position.
Broncos need for a running back in 2025 amplified in the playoffs
Regarding the Wild Card round, four teams that moved onto the Divisional round had one 100+ yards rusher, specifically Houston, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Philadelphia (Mixon - 106, Henry - 186, Cook - 120, and Barkley - 119). From the other two teams that won their Wild Card game, Washington's leading rusher had 36 and Los Angeles' 76, respectively.
Speaking of top-tier running backs, there are multiple ways the Broncos can acquire one. The first option is free agency. This year's free agency is not as loaded at the running back position as it was in 2024, but there are some names to monitor, specifically Aaron Jones, Najee Harris, JK Dobbins, Nick Chubb, and Rico Dowdle.
Trades are another option, and there are guys at the position that could be dealt with in the offseason, specifically Breece Hall, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Finally, the Draft. This year's draft has big names at the running back position, including Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty, Kaleb Johnson, Cam Skattebo, and Omarion Hampton.
Addressing the running back position is crucial for the Broncos to take the next step and become a true contender for the division, the conference, and the Super Bowl. The front office and coaching staff must prioritize finding a solution for this position to ensure firepower to compete at the highest level and have better results compared to a 2024-25 season that exceeded many expectations.