Can Jaleel McLaughlin find playmaking role in Broncos reconstructed backfield?

New York Times

09-07-2025

Jaleel McLaughlin viewed the shrieking whistle as a suggestion and chose to ignore it. During an offseason practice at the Denver Broncos training facility in early June, McLaughlin caught a pass in the flat and turned upfield. In a blink, he had outrun the angle the nearest defender had taken while trying to pin the running back to the sideline. In a non-tackle, offseason setting, the play was over at that point, but McLaughlin kept running. Kept accelerating. Kept envisioning the home runs he wants to hit more frequently when his third NFL season rolls around in September.
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'Really, just turning those 12-yard plays into 80 or 90 yards, or 50- or 60-yard touchdowns, that's what I've been trying to work on,' McLaughlin said just before the Broncos broke minicamp last month. '(The difference) is that small. If you juggle the ball, especially in a league where everyone is really fast and smart, that can change the game. I've been working on those little things, for sure.'
The Broncos reconstructed their backfield this offseason with two key additions. First, Denver selected RJ Harvey, an All-American running back out of Central Florida, in the second round of April's NFL Draft. Then, just before minicamp, the Broncos signed veteran JK Dobbins to a one-year deal after the sides had spent much of the offseason discussing a potential deal. Those additions, combined with Denver's leading rusher of the past two years, Javonte Williams, leaving in free agency, have created an entirely new picture for an offense aiming to be more dynamic on the ground.
Still, even amid new faces in his position group, McLaughlin remains a fascinating potential piece of the puzzle for Denver's offense, a versatile, whip-quick backfield weapon who has totaled 1,142 yards of offense and six touchdowns since joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State in 2023. The 5-foot-7, 187-pound back is never going to be a traditional workhorse for the Broncos. He carried the ball 7.1 times per game last season and has averaged just under two passing targets per game during his career. The new firepower, along with the presence of second-year running back Audric Estimé, makes it hard to imagine a world in which McLaughlin will hover much above that 10-touch mark per game.
The quantity of work is largely out of McLaughlin's control. That's why his focus is on explosive efficiency, turning more of his opportunities into home runs. It's a thought that fueled every pre-dawn workout this offseason for the notorious early riser. The playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills stung. McLaughlin touched the ball three times for minus-2 yards. He simply hadn't impacted the game in the way he had envisioned. He was back in the building working out days later.
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'I didn't take much time (off after the season),' McLaughlin said. 'I had a sour taste in my mouth.'
McLaughlin's shiftiness was evident in the tight spaces of the red zone last season. All three of his touchdowns came on plays inside the 10-yard line, including a nifty run during a Week 3 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McLaughlin caught a pitch from quarterback Bo Nix and appeared trapped by the pterodactyl wingspan of 6-foot-7 outside linebacker Anthony Nelson. So McLaughlin slammed the brakes, juked inside to freeze Nelson and then bounced back outside, zipping by chasing defensive lineman C.J. Brewer into the end zone. The play showcased what running backs coach Lou Ayeni calls McLaughlin's ability to 'teleport' on the field.
'There's juice and there's vision,' Broncos coach Sean Payton added.
Jaleel McLaughlin got there! The @Broncos now lead the Buccaneers 14-0!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/fHvnkrCFJC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 22, 2024
The next step for McLaughlin is turning more of his opportunities in the open field into game-changing plays. Ayeni, who has worked with McLaughlin since the running back entered the league, has challenged him to spike his number of explosive runs. He has averaged a respectable 4.8 yards per carry in his first two seasons, but he had only five runs of at least 15 yards last season and only one 20-plus yard run.
'I left a lot out there last year and I know that,' McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin will be facing fierce competition in the backfield when training camp begins later this month. Much of the hope for a resurgent Broncos running game is being pinned on Harvey and Dobbins, even if Payton has been adamant there is not yet an established pecking order at a position that also includes holdovers, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson. Can McLaughlin still count on nine or 10 opportunities per game to make a play with the ball in his hands?
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The number of touches may matter less than what McLaughlin can do with them in big spots this season. That's why, when he hears the whistle blow in training camp later this month, it may serve as a signal to hit the gas.
'Everything's slowing down, but speeding up at the same time with my play,' the running back said. 'I have been focusing on those little things, for sure. I think the hard work is going to show.'