We learned a lot from the 27-7 home win by the Denver Broncos last night. During that dismantlement of the Arizona Cardinals, we learned the Jarrett Stidham is a pretty darn good backup and we learned that the running back competition is all but sorted out. The latter is the topic I want to cover today.
While rookie RJ Harvey started, it became clear by halftime who were backs three and four with Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin getting most of the reps. Badie looked good with 32 yards on six touches and McLaughlin also had a good night with 48 yards on three touches — including a 35 yard scamper. By the second half, it became the Blake Watson vs. Audric Estime show.
Head coach Sean Payton noted that the reps were decided before the game and it certainly came down Watson and Estime getting plenty of carries.
“The plan was early on it was RJ [Harvey],” Payton said. “Obviously, [Tyler] Badie was going to get work, then Jaleel [McLaughlin], Audric [Estime] and then Blake [Watson]. We knew we wanted two-thirds of the game to get to Blake and Audric. I think we were able to accomplish that. Now again, it’s not an exact science, but those guys got a lot of work, and I thought they did a good job with their opportunities.”
Against third and fourth team defenses, neither guy found much in the running game. Watson found a little more room to run with 10 carries for 34 yards, while Estime ground out 2.2 yards per carry on 9 carries for 22 yards. Watson also added four catches for 20 yards.
Putting the stats aside, Watson just looked more explosive and more of a dynamic ball carrier than Estime. It sure looks like he’d be the guy to land on the practice squad if both miss out on the 53-man roster in two weeks. The depth chart currently appears to be: JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson, and Audric Estime.
Do they keep four running backs? I just don’t know. If they cut McLaughlin, he likely ends up someplace else. The same likely cannot be said of Badie, but I feel like Badie brings more to the table on an every down basis than McLaughlin does. It makes things a whole lot easier if they just roll with four on the active roster.
Having good depth is a good problem to have. Frankly, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to talk about this kind of problem in Denver. I’m here for it.
