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The Denver Broncos are right on the cusp of starting training camp, which will begin later this month and thus start the process of several notable position battles on both sides of the ball.
And there have been several positions that have arisen as talking points leading up to camp taking place: wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, and safety have been a few of those highly discussed positions.
But one area of the roster that hasn't been as talked about is the Broncos' running back room–– which makes sense, given how the top of their depth chart is primed to shake out.
J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and rookie runner Jonah Coleman are all slated to be sorted first through third on the Broncos' depth chart, likely to be in that order. But Denver will also be primed to bring on another running back to their 53-man roster to be their fourth-string guy.
Entering the past two seasons, the Broncos have had four running backs listed on their Week 1 roster. On their current 90-man roster, they have six onboard, and the two most likely candidates to compete for that fourth spot are a couple of returning veterans: Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin.
But who will be the one getting the edge for that final spot? That remains up for grabs, and could be a key storyline to watch unfold in the weeks ahead.
The Case for Badie and McLaughlin for the Broncos' RB4
There’s a reason for both Badie and McLaughlin to be that final running back worthy of a roster spot. Both offer similar size and athleticism, but have different areas of their game in which they excel.
For Badie, he was a staple of the Broncos' special teams unit throughout last season, having been activated for 16 games and playing in 59% of the Broncos' total snaps within special teams.
A lot of that work was as a returner, as he returned a total of 17 kicks for 452 yards, coming out to a little over 26 yards per return. Marvin Mims still controlled more of that work in the return game, but it's still worth mentioning for Badie as that would be a key point in letting him run it back on the 53-man outlook once again.
On the offensive side of the ball, he only took ahold of eight carries for 23 yards, along with getting some work in the receiving game with 19 catches for 144 yards. Of course, he could provide some extra depth within the backfield in a pinch, which might add just a bit more appeal to his case entering training camp.
McLaughlin doesn't offer the same upside on the special teams side of things. He was on the field for just 7% of the Broncos' total special teams snaps, which might inevitably hurt his case when it comes to being the fourth running back on the roster. Usually, teams do use those depth guys as focal points in that phase of the game, rather than pulling them out on the offensive end.
But McLaughlin does offer way more upside as an actual runner. Last season, he was active in eight games to run 37 times for 187 yards and a touchdown. Badie actually outworked him in terms of receiving work, as he logged just four receptions for 27 yards.
Bottom Line
So really, the decision of choosing that RB4 to make the cut really depends on what the Broncos are valuing on their 53-man roster.
If the Broncos want another piece who can work well on the special teams side, and even present a better skillset in the passing and screen game, Badie has the edge there. If they want another runner who they can throw in the backfield in a pinch, look towards McLaughlin in that case.
And based on the way that the Broncos' top three of the depth chart is shaking out in terms of running backs, it seems like Badie might bring a bit more of a necessary role. But again, a ton of practice is set to unravel between now and cutdown day, so there's lots of time for things to change.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/broncos/onsi as One Question Nobody Is Asking About the Broncos (And How to Answer It).
