4 dark horse candidates to have a big season for the Broncos

Broncos dark horse candidates to have a big 2023 season: Jaleel McLaughlin, Running Back

This is going way off of the radar but the early reviews of undrafted free-agent running back Jaleel McLaughlin seem to be good. The Broncos don't necessarily have an ironclad plan at the running back position and though it sounds like a broken record at this point, Payton has done wonders with smaller running backs in his career.

The Broncos have Javonte Williams as their starting running back but he is coming off of a torn ACL. Samaje Perine, the primary backup, has never been anything more than a primary backup. So the team could easily establish a committee approach with at least three running backs.

Tyler Badie and Tony Jones are also on the roster but McLaughlin could have the chops to surpass them both in the pecking order.

He is a small back who comes from a small school (Youngstown State) but the Broncos could easily use him as a receiving option out of the backfield or bring him in as a part of some specialty packages to create mismatches, the same way the Saints used to do with Darren Sproles.

McLaughlin is certainly a player to keep tabs on to see if he can somehow crack the 53-man roster.