Broncos add depth to the running back room

The Denver Broncos have made a roster move, by signing running back/special teams player Dwayne Washington. Washington, a former 7th-round pick out of the University of Washington in 2016, has 83 career games with the Detroit Lions (17), and with the New Orleans Saints (66).

To make room for Washington, the Broncos waived defensive lineman Forrest Merrill, who was signed on August 5. Merrill has only four NFL games and has dealt with injuries since he entered the league. Forrest appeared in 18 total snaps for the Broncos, during the preseason opener loss against the Arizona Cardinals, and did not record any tackles.

Dwayne Washington is more of a special teams contributor but also plays at the running back position. Since he entered the league, he has had 411 snaps at running back and 1,315 snaps in special teams. During last season, Washington appeared in 80 percent of the Saints' special teams snaps.

Washington is a familiar player for Sean Payton, as he played for the Saints in Payton's last four seasons as New Orleans' head coach. Regarding his stats, Dwayne has 168 carries for 592 yards, and one touchdown, which is approximately two carries per game, 3.5 yards per attempt, and 7 yards per game. Additionally, Washington has 16 receptions and 101 receiving yards. He has zero career fumbles.

It was reported that besides signing Dwayne Washington, the Broncos had two other running backs for tryouts. These two guys are Ronald Awatt, a former UTEP Miner, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers after the 2023 NFL Draft, and Larry Rountree III, a former 6th-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, with 16 career NFL games, 106 rushing yards, and one touchdown.

With the Dwayne Washington signing and the team trying out more running backs, I think that free agent signing Tony Jones Jr.'s roster spot chance is decreasing more and more, as he was the player with the least amount of yards during Denver's preseason opener at Arizona, and a player that has been outplayed in camp by Tyler Badie (who missed Wednesday's practice), and undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin.