One of the most heated training camp battles for the Denver Broncos in 2025 will be at the running back position. The Broncos not only used a 2nd-round pick on the running back position to select UCF star RJ Harvey, but they ended up making a signing late in the offseason program, bringing in veteran JK Dobbins.
The arrival of both Harvey and Dobbins has made it clear that holdovers from last year are fighting for their roster lives, not just for carries in 2025. The Broncos found a gem in the 2023 undrafted free agent scrapheap with Jaleel McLaughlin, who has been one of the team's top backs the last two years.
Unfortunately, McLaughlin's effectiveness on a per-snap basis took a nosedive last season, and he wasn't able to provide the team with the type of consistency they needed in order to believe he could be a significant part of the solution in 2025.
But reports of his roster demise were maybe a little premature.
Jaleel McLaughlin might be in perfect role for Broncos entering 2025 season
While McLaughlin is clearly not the NFL's version of a featured running back, he might be in line for his most effective role yet with the Broncos.
According to sources at Broncos OTAs, McLaughlin was primarily still working with the top offense and was even out there returning kickoffs for the Broncos, an intriguing wrinkle being added to the equation for this season, specifically.
The NFL's new touchback rule mandates the ball be brought out to the 35-yard-line, which is likely to prompt teams to actually kick the ball off to the opposition more frequently. If that's the case, teams are going to be intentional about not kicking the ball off to Marvin Mims, who has been an All-Pro return specialist in each of his first two NFL seasons.
That makes the other kickoff returner equally important to the equation for the Broncos, and someone they need to be able to rely on weekly.
Interestingly enough, McLaughlin already has some stuff on tape the Broncos can reference for his ability to return kicks effectively.
It seems clear that the Broncos' running back group is going to be led by JK Dobbins, when healthy. Beyond that, everything is an unknown, but the team's actions and words throughout OTAs and minicamp seem to indicate RJ Harvey is going to have a major role. But McLaughlin is one of Sean Payton's guys, so where does he factor into the equation?
Well, he seems like the ideal 3rd back. He's the most proven guy the Broncos have from last year's group. He's got the ability to make a difference in the return game. He can catch passes.
I think the excitement for McLaughlin had worn off based on a tough second year and the arrival of a couple of new backs, but there might be renewed excitement if he can prove his worth on special teams in the return game. The narrative is shifting for McLaughlin, and it's not even training camp yet.