Surprise Broncos playmaker making debut in Week 6 against Jets

There are a handful of Denver Broncos players set to make their 2025 season debuts against the New York Jets in London, including a surprise playmaker on offense.

The Broncos made third-string running back Tyler Badie a gameday inactive against the Jets, instead deciding to activate Jaleel McLaughlin, who had been the team's RB2 the past couple of years. McLaughlin has been inactive every week so far this season after essentially losing his job to rookie running back RJ Harvey, but now, we might see him add a wrinkle against the Jets.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton is always looking to throw opponents off with his usage of different personnel, and this will be something the Jets haven't been able to prepare for.

Jaleel McLaughlin making 2025 debut for Broncos in Week 6 against Jets

Week 6 will also mark the 2025 debut of defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, who has been out since before Week 1 with a calf injury.

But this is about Jaleel McLaughlin, the biggest surprise activation of the week at this point. McLaughlin had over 500 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns in each of the past two years for the Broncos, but his effectiveness on a per-snap basis took a dip last year in almost every metric.

Still, this is a player whose work habits are absolutely beloved by the Broncos' coaching staff, and someone who adds value not only on offense as a weapon but in the kickoff return department, where we have seen Marvin Mims and RJ Harvey work this season.

It would be a bigger shock if McLaughlin would take any of Harvey's reps offensively as the Broncos look to continue getting him going, but you never know what Sean Payton has planned.

The Broncos are going up against a Jets defense that has been susceptible this season against the run, to say the least. They have allowed the third-most yards after contact out of any team in the league. So when you have a chance to dominate on the ground, you've got to take it.

This could be a great chance for the Broncos to get McLaughlin's feet wet this season and figure out if they want to keep all four running backs on the 53-man roster when other players come back from IR in the near future, like Dre Greenlaw and Drew Sanders.