The Denver Broncos do need to add more talent to their RB room this coming offseason. Let's try to predict how it looks in 2025. Denver is going to add multiple new faces on offense, and the end goal should be to take this unit to the next level and to make life that much easier for Bo Nix.
Nix being able to play as well as he did in 2024 given what he had to use was just amazing. It is now up to the team's front office to give their young QB a competent group of playmakers at his disposal. Denver does need to beef up their RB room for 2025, but they also may be high on a couple of players already in the room.
Let's try to predict how the RB room looks in 2025.
Predicting the Denver Broncos running back room for the 2025 NFL Season
TreVeyon Henderson
Here is TreVeyon Henderson's NFL.com profile by Lance Zierlein:
"Henderson is capable of starring on third downs or biting off a bigger chunk as a three-down option. He has average size but above-average juice with good acceleration. He’s an average decision-maker inside and is not overly creative once confronted by the defense, but he has the pacing and subtle shiftiness to excel as an outside runner. He might be the best pass-protecting running back in this draft and is more than capable as a pass-catcher. Henderson isn’t Jahmyr Gibbs, but he can operate in a similar role for teams looking to add a more dynamic player to their running back room."Lance Zierlein
A notable thing here is that Zierlein also compares him to Aaron Jones. This should help us figure out why Henderson would be a great addition to the Denver Broncos. Many of us have talked about the possibility of adding Aaron Jones in free agency, but with Henderson's skillset, he might be the one to add.
The Denver Broncos could probably get him with the 51st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's one of the better running backs in a very deep RB class. And it would really be a shame if the Broncos were not able to come away with a RB from this deep group.
Audric Estime
Audric Estime is a tough runner who could take on a larger role in 2025. Being that Sean Payton has loved using a committee approach at the position, I could see a room where Henderson gets most of the carries, but Estime is right behind him to take the load off from time to time. Estime was a rookie in 2024, and he rushed for 310 yards on 76 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per tote.
Audric Estime is still just 21 years old, so he still has youth on his side even at the RB position. I would expect to see Estime get notable carries in 2025.
Jaleel McLaughlin
Jaleel McLaughlin averaged a solid 4.4 yards per carry in 2024. He ran for 496 yards on 113 carries. He also added 76 receiving yards and had three total touchdowns. Through two seasons in the NFL, McLaughlin has averaged 588 offensive yards per season.
That's probably what the Denver Broncos are going to continue to get with the player. Some have said previously that McLaughlin is a joker-type for the Denver Broncos, but he does not feel quite that dynamic. However, in mop-up duty here and there, we have seen McLaughlin be very effective.
The main issue the Denver Broncos have with the RB room is that there isn't a clear-cut free agent to spend a lot of money on. Najee Harris could be an option, but he's not an explosive player and comes with a lower ceiling. It also does seem like the Minnesota Vikings will make a great effort to bring Aaron Jones back in 2025, so he could be off the table as well.
Denver may have to target someone in the 2025 NFL Draft as their primary running back in 2025. They could pursue a trade if someone were to become available, but it's not clear if anyone will be at the moment. Sean Payton and the Broncos did apparently have a good bit of interest in Josh Jacobs last offseason, but there isn't a Josh Jacobs in free agency this coming offseason.
The more I write this out, the more I believe Denver may make more of an effort to remake their RB room, but it's just too hard to say at the moment who they would even bring in. Let's, for now, predict that they'll trot out a room of TreVeyon Henderson, Audric Estime, and Jaleel McLaughlin in the 2025 NFL Season.