Despite RB Jaleel McLaughlin's absence, the Broncos stuck with a three-man committee backfield in Thursday night's loss to the Chargers. RB Audric Estime led the way with nine carries for 48 yards and a score. But he played just 13 offensive snaps -- 20 fewer than RB Javonte Williams and three more than RB Blake Watson. Williams finished with four carries and a team-high 11 targets, while Watson tallied four carries and two targets. The Broncos even used WR Marvin Mims in the backfield for five snaps.
Broncos RB Tyler Badie (back) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. We’ll see if rookie RB Blake Watson makes his debut, but RBs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin figure to handle the vast majority of the backfield work.
The Broncos are sending rookie RB Audric Estime to IR with an ankle injury. The Athletic's Nick Kosmider says only that Estime will "miss at least four games," which makes it sound like a shorter-term issue.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams was one of the least efficient runners in the league last year. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 42nd among 49 qualifiers in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. It's certainly worth noting that Williams was returning from an October 2022 multi-ligament knee injury. He was cleared for the start of training camp last summer, but it’s fair to wonder if the knee was still a factor throughout the season.
Broncos HC Sean Payton said recently that his backfield is an open competition heading into the season. "All these guys, they're all competing for different roles, spots," Payton said. "We never put a cap on what they're competing for. I wanna see it. And then we'll go by what we see."
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