How the offseason competition Broncos coach Sean Payton covets has changed form

New York Times

2 days ago

The task of overhauling a roster to fit a winning mold is rarely pretty. About 18 months ago, as the Denver Broncos wrapped up a dismal 8-9 season, the work ahead felt like, in the words of head coach Sean Payton, misery, sorrow and drudgery.
'Give me some other adjectives there,' Payton added, wanting to jackhammer the point home. 'That was brutal. Let's say that.'
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By training camp, though, the cloud had lifted. Payton had found his new quarterback, Bo Nix, in the NFL Draft. He and the Broncos had set up an offseason, after moving on from several veteran players, that was refreshingly competitive across the roster. Numerous starting and depth spots were up for grabs. There was an infusion of youth into the group. Drudgery soon gave way to optimism.
'There's a new energy to it,' Payton said as camp began last year. 'There's a lot of competition for jobs. That's encouraging. Those who watched (the 2023 offseason), maybe you see something that's different. Certainly, I feel like it's been different.'
That competition served as the foundation of what became Denver's first playoff season in nine years. But it has taken on a new form as the Broncos prepare for a 2025 season that comes with heightened expectations. They are returning 86 percent of the players from last year's roster, according to Over The Cap, which is the highest rate in the league. Payton has a far clearer picture of his group and its capabilities. Still, creating competition this offseason is paramount to the culture Payton and the Broncos have been building.
That's particularly true on offense, where the Broncos still have ample room to grow despite last season's promising strides behind Nix.
'There are a number of young players competing not so much for spots, but competing for touches,' Payton said last week as the Broncos began OTA practices.
Before diving into how that competition could unfold throughout the rest of the offseason and even into the regular season, let's take a look at how touches were distributed in Denver's offense last season. Players no longer with the Broncos are denoted with an asterisk:
The chart above makes it easy to see why running back could be the most competitive room on Denver's roster this offseason. Javonte Williams, who joined the Dallas Cowboys in free agency, led the Broncos in touches per game last season. He also ranked first on the team in carries (139) and second in receptions (52). He was second among skill players in snaps played (574), behind only wide receiver Courtland Sutton. That snap count was the highest for a running back since Melvin Gordon had 627 snaps in 2020. Despite his struggles running the ball (3.7 yards per game), the trust the Broncos placed in Williams as a receiver and pass protector kept him on the field.
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Rookie running back RJ Harvey figures to take a sizable chunk of the Williams pie this season. The Broncos believe their second-round pick out of Central Florida has the ability as a lead ball-carrier to immediately inject new life into Denver's running game, which sagged at inopportune times last season. That will be his primary job. In two practices open to the media this offseason, Harvey has been given ample work in the passing game as he prepares for the kind of multifaceted responsibilities required of running backs in Payton's offense. The early returns have been promising, with the obvious caveat that he hasn't yet put on pads and been asked to stonewall a blitzing linebacker.
'You know he can run the ball,' Nix said, 'but I think it's the other things that he's (already) showing. Just the routes, (his) suddenness and quickness in his hands. I think all that's really good to see, but he's a great guy, first and foremost. I think it's going to translate for him being a successful player.'
This offseason will be critical not only in determining how much of the Williams workload can be transferred to Harvey, but also who else will earn touches at the position alongside him.
In some ways, second-year running back Audric Estimé and Harvey are on similar footing. Estimé, a fifth-round draft pick of the Broncos last season, didn't have a seamless rookie season. He suffered an injury on his first carry that landed him on IR. He also fumbled on that Week 1 carry, and early ball-security issues stalled his progress. Estimé had the look of an impactful downhill runner at times. He notably showcased 'the physicality that got him drafted,' as Payton described it, during Denver's narrow loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 and in other snapshots during the second half of the season, but he never cemented himself inside an oft-fluctuating rotation.
'(It was) a little bit harder for him last year, for a handful of these guys,' Payton said. 'I don't want to say the grade was incomplete, but they just didn't have enough (touches). He's a back that requires enough touches. He's going to get those opportunities.'
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Estimé will have to take advantage of those chances in the offseason because the three other running backs in the room — Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson — are also trying to fight their way into the mix. McLaughlin, entering his third season, was third on the team last season with 572 yards from scrimmage and second in overall touches. The drafting of Harvey and the curiosity about Estimé's development have made McLaughlin something of the forgotten man in Denver's backfield this offseason, but he could have something to say about where some of the running back chances go in critical situations this season because of his experience.
In the passing game, the Broncos return three of their top four receivers from last season in terms of receptions: Sutton (81), Devaughn Vele (41) and Marvin Mims (39), who were also Denver's three leaders in receiving yards. Veteran tight end Evan Engram, who had 114 receptions for the Jacksonville Jaguars just two seasons ago, was added in free agency and wide receiver Pat Bryant was drafted in the third round. Add in what is expected to be a sizable role in the passing game for Harvey, and Nix has three new targets he is trying to work into the group he grew comfortable with as last season progressed.
'My job is to just make them a part of the team and help them with the transition,' Nix said of Denver's new skill-player additions. 'I feel like all the new guys have really bought in. They've been around, they've been getting to know everybody and we got really good pickups this offseason. I'm excited to see them play.'
The tight end spot will transform the most. That position for the Broncos last season produced 51 total touches. Engram had 47 touches by himself in 2024, in only nine games. If Engram is healthy this season, he could conceivably lead Denver in targets, and that would change the complexion of shares elsewhere.
Mims, Vele and Troy Franklin, who scored Denver's lone touchdown in the wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills, could rightly envision themselves having 'ascensions,' as Payton put it, in the Broncos' offense this season. But the math suggests the Broncos can't ramp up production for all three targets while building more of the passing game around Engram, incorporating Bryant and continuing to feed Sutton at a high level. So how will the distribution shake out?
Time will tell how the one football Nix has on each play gets spread around. Most importantly for now, Payton has the competitive environment he craves — even if this one has taken on a different form.
(Top photo of RJ Harvey: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)