Broncos undrafted steal suffers unexpected setback before training camp

Last year, the Denver Broncos found a diamond in the rough in undrafted free agent running back Jaleel McLaughlin. It looked like they might be on their way to finding yet another gem of an undrafted free agent at that very same position in former Old Dominion and Memphis star Blake Watson, but Watson has suffered a pre-training camp setback.

According to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, Watson was placed on the Non-Football Injury list the same day rookies reported to training camp for the Broncos.

The really unfortunate aspect of this kind of news is that we don't have a grasp on exactly how much time Watson could miss or what is going on. The Broncos kept linebacker Drew Sanders' injury under wraps for a long time before anybody found out he was going to miss most if not all of the 2024 regular season. Watson being placed on the non-football injury list means that he suffered an injury while working out away from the team facility.

Even on the non-football injury list, Watson will count against the Broncos' 90-man roster and as Gabriel reported, he can come off of that list at any point in time during camp.

Sean Payton was asked about the vision for Watson back in May at the team's rookie minicamp, and while he initially said he wouldn't compare him to Saints running back Alvin Kamara, he then went on to say this:

"Look, we use that ‘joker’ term a little bit. That was one of the traits though that stood out. He was one of those guys again in the seventh round, sixth round, but we saw a player that was natural catching the ball. That was a big draw. When we read a player, that was a draw to his vision. What’s the vision? So now we’re learning more about him. I’m not making the comparison, but when [the Saints] drafted [Saints RB Alvin] Kamara, we saw that vision, but we didn’t realize the other things in the running game. The first handoff in the preseason I think against the Chargers, he went 52 yards for a touchdown. And we were like, ‘Man, we can hand the ball off to him.’ But if you asked me the traits that attracted us to Blake, it was certainly that that we saw in the passing game, and you saw pretty good football IQ too. So good question."

- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)

Watson is a former receiver turned running back who does bring a lot to the table as a pass-catching threat. He is explosive, very fast, and has tremendous vision in space. Especially in a relatively weak running back class, it's shocking that Watson didn't get picked in the late rounds by anyone.

As we await word on exactly what's going on injury-wise with him, perhaps this could end up being a blessing in disguise. As of right now, the Broncos have likely three running back spots available and six guys competing for those spots. It's been trending toward one of Javonte Williams or Samaje Perine being released for a while now, and Blake Watson hasn't even been given much of a chance when you ask the roster predictors out there.

If Watson is actually forced to miss some significant time and doesn't get the chance to compete at camp, then perhaps the Broncos will be able to sneak him on the PUP or injured reserve at the start of the year and bring him back later.

This rookie's situation will be worth monitoring as Broncos camp is set to open up on July 25.