After losing running back J.K. Dobbins to a foot injury, the Denver Broncos are weighing whether or not he will be placed on injured reserve (coach Sean Payton said after Wednesday’s practice that no decision has been made yet).
Regardless of his IR status, Dobbins is set to miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and presumably a few more after that. That will leave rookie running back RJ Harvey as the team’s fill-in starter.
“Obviously, he’ll have more opportunities here in this game,” Payton said of Harvey.
Behind the rookie, Jaleel McLaughlin figures to be a strong candidate for RB2 duties despite being a healthy scratch for all but one game this season. McLaughlin totaled 1,142 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns through his first two seasons in Denver. He will likely serve in a change-of-pace role behind Harvey while Dobbins is sidelined.
Tyler Badie seems poised to remain RB3 for passing situations. He hasn’t made a huge impact as a receiver out of the backfield with 10 catches for 87 yards through nine games, but Badie is the team’s best pass blocker in the backfield.
The Broncos also have Deuce Vaughn available on the practice squad. Because Denver has been playing with three RBs on the game-day roster, there’s probably no need to promote Vaughn to the active roster, at least not at the moment.
Broncos’ (projected) RB depth chart
- RB1: RJ Harvey
- RB2: Jaleel McLaughlin
- RB3: Tyler Badie
- RB4: Deuce Vaughn (practice squad)
This week, Denver will face the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the 12th-best run defense in the league, allowing 104.6 rushing yards per game. Playing behind Dobbins, Harvey has totaled 389 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns on 75 touches through his first ten games in the NFL.
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