As the rookie season of RJ Harvey comes to a close this week, it might go down as one of the more underrated rookie seasons in football this year. He started the season with an incredibly niche role as the secondary back but a legitimate receiving option, and found immediate success in that role. As the season progressed, it was clear that he had a strong fit in Sean Payton's offense.
Harvey has become one of the elite red zone threats and has put together one of the most impressive scoring seasons in Broncos franchise history. The UCF product enters the week with 12 total scores on the season, by far the most of any Broncos offensive weapon. With another strong week this week, he could find himself adding another touchdown to his already historic season.
Harvey's scoring prowess is unprecedented, not just for a Broncos rookie, but for NFL rookies as a whole. Harvey isn't going to receive the Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration that he deserves, but instead, his name is going to be etched in the NFL history panels. In one somewhat ironic way, Harvey has a chance to make NFL history against the Chargers.
With a touchdown, Harvey can achieve a feat not done by a rookie since JK Dobbins
If RJ Harvey scores a touchdown this weekend against the Chargers, it would be his sixth consecutive game with a score from scrimmage. An incredibly impressive feat, Harvey would be the first rookie to do so since JK Dobbins did as a rookie in 2020 for the Ravens. Dobbins remains injured after what seemed to be the start of a career season in Denver.
After Dobbins went down, he was replaced by his backup, and in many ways his mentee, Harvey. As his production has improved over the recent weeks, questions remain over whether or not Harvey is going to be what keeps the Broncos from bringing Dobbins back for the 2025 season. In many ways, the rest of their careers are going to be tied together by whatever decision the Broncos decision makers land on this spring.
Another score this week would put Harvey at 13 for the season, which would be the most by a Bronco since Demaryius Thomas in the 2013 season. Harvey' scoring is incredibly diversified as well, becoming the first season in franchise history with at least five rushing scores and five receivig scores. He can easily be the biggest deciding factor if the Broncos work deep into the 2025 playoffs, and has helped keep the offense on track since Dobbins went down.