The Denver Broncos have won nine of their first 11 games in 2025 and control their own destiny for the AFC West title. They are also a huge favorite to earn the first seed in the conference as well. The no. 1 seed would guarantee the Broncos at least one home playoff game and homefield advantage throughout the postseason.
It's almost hard to believe that the Broncos are in this position right now, but here we are. Well, the team has dealt with a few injuries this year to starters like Patrick Surtain II, JK Dobbins, Alex Singleton, and Ben Powers.
Surtain, Singleton, and Powers all seem to be returning in the near future, but the final player on that list is someone who was playing excellent football this year, and Sean Payton might be playing with fire without him in the lineup.
The Broncos' RB room without JK Dobbins is a massive issue right now
The Broncos are likely not getting JK Dobbins back for the rest of the season, as a foot injury suffered on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 is what's caused this. It came on an illegal hip-drop tackle motion, which is a shame.
Denver seemed to have some level of interest in adding to the position during their bye, as Dameon Pierce was cut from the Houston Texans, and the Broncos were interested, but he chose to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.
Free agents like Jamaal Williams and Zack Moss are still out there, but, for whatever reason, there is no indication that Denver is interested in either player. As of now, the top running backs for the Broncos are RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Tyler Badie.
All three are a bit undersized and largely unproven, so it's a bit of a shock that the Broncos did not add someone here. With six regular season games left, the Broncos have to win a few more to clinch the AFC West, and Sean Payton might be playing with fire at this key position.
The Broncos do have a preference to roll with 'their guys,' but, sometimes, in situations like this, the team needs to go out and bring someone else in. Denver faces the Washington Commanders in Week 13 and also still have three divisional games left and two others against the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hopefully, the run game does not become an issue.