The Denver Broncos are less than a month away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and they still don't have a starting running back. To be clear, there are four backs currently on the roster, but none of those guys is being penciled in as the top back for the upcoming season and none of the backs on the roster fits the "Joker" mold that Sean Payton has coveted in the past from players like Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, or Alvin Kamara.
The typical line of thinking is that if you have a need, you bring someone in through free agency, even if it's only on a short-term deal. The Broncos have apparently decided -- at this point in time -- that they are good with the four backs they have compared to the veterans available in free agency.
Head coach Sean Payton, speaking at the annual NFL league/owner meetings, explained exactly why.
Broncos have not signed free agent RB because it was a poor free agent class
“I think that (draft depth) factors into it. I also think we felt like it was a pretty lean year in regards to free agency at that position, just relatively speaking. There is depth in the draft.”
Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
That's a nice way of putting it. To say this year was a "lean" year in NFL Free Agency is putting it mildly. This year's free agency class, especially as compared to the group we saw in 2023, was horrendous. Aaron Jones and Najee Harris were probably the biggest names available compared to Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Derrick Henry (among others) the previous offseason.
The analogy I continue using is the analogy of the experiment in will power with the children left alone in a room with a marshmallow. A man leaves a child in a room with a big, fluffy marshmallow, giving them permission to eat the marshmallow when he leaves the room. He says if they haven't eaten the marshmallow by the time he comes back, he will give them a second marshmallow.
It's an exercise in will power and delayed gratification. There's nothing inherently wrong with eating the marshmallow (signing a running back in free agency) but compared to getting a second? Well, there isn't a comparison.
In this particular offseason, the NFL Draft is just the far superior option, and the Broncos' actions have reflected that. You almost hope they find a way to add multiple backs from this year's draft crop.
There is still a chance that the Broncos can add in NFL Free Agency at the running back position. There is no rule saying they can't. But the smart play is to see what happens in the NFL Draft first.