Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos INTEREST In J.K. Dobbins Could SHAKE UP Running Back Room

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos and head coach Sean Payton could shake up the running back room. They're visiting with J.K. Dobbins on Wednesday night. There's a chance he could sign, but what does that mean for the rest of the Broncos running back room? We'll debate and discuss here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Welcome into a bonus episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast,

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Starting point is 00:00:48 bonus episodes like this, where the Denver Broncos are still in the market for a veteran running back. We'll break all it down on today's episode of the show. I'm Cody Rourke. Broncos reporter for Mileisports. Cover the team in person there daily. You can check out my work over there at Mileisports.com. And I'm Sarah Beninger's site expert.

Starting point is 00:01:05 at predominantly orange.com. And here's what you can expect on this bonus episode. Broncos country. The news came out obviously on Wednesday afternoon that Denver is set to meet with free agent veteran and running back J.K. Dobbins, who was a former starter for the Los Angeles Chargers last season, played in 13 games and ultimately missed four games due to an MCL sprain. But he was a big part of their offense.

Starting point is 00:01:30 I think the injury history was a big reason why they chose not to bring him back here. And they went and they pursued Najee Harri. and they got Marion Hapton in the NFL draft. Well, now the Denver Broncos might be able to pluck him away and have some advantage against the Chargers this upcoming season. Sarah, your thoughts here initially because Tom Pelliserra, a good friend over there at the NFL Network put it out there that the Broncos, Sean Payton, the Broncos brass, including GM George Peyton,

Starting point is 00:01:53 and some other coaches are set to have dinner with J.K. Dobbins on Wednesday evening, and he's expected to tour the team facility on Thursday before we actually get to see practice at OTAs tomorrow. Yeah, the Broncos are going to whine him, dine him, and try to sign him, right? I mean, I think that's really exciting for the team at this juncture of the offseason where offensively, we've talked about this before. RJ Harvey was the only significant, actually the only, literally the only addition this team made at the running back position in 2025.

Starting point is 00:02:26 And based on what we saw last year, Cody, I just don't know if that's really acceptable, right? I mean, Tyler Badegh went down early in the year with the injury. Jalil McLaughlin was way less effective in year two than he was in his rookie season when he was a really exciting addition to that group. Blake Watson, although you and I are both excited about him, and I'm excited for the listeners to hear more about our thoughts on his role on tomorrow's

Starting point is 00:02:48 episode of the show. But man, I think there's just a lack of clarity at running back. And a guy like this, like J.K. Dobbins, he comes in and raises your floor. I've been team, don't sign a veteran all offseason.

Starting point is 00:03:00 And I think at this point in the offseason is when you can kind of justify it a little bit better, right? When you have, okay, we know RJ Harvey's going to be in the mix and you kind of feel like everything else is still up in the air. Somebody like Dobbins can help your competition. He can help your room overall in terms of the floor of the room and raising the level of just a player that you have there. I think Chargers made a mistake.

Starting point is 00:03:23 I don't know why they would bring in Najee Harris instead of just bringing back J.K. Dobbins. I mean, especially when you drafted a guy in the first round, the Najee Harris move. seems like a complete waste of time for them. So I think that this is a great move by Denver to go and get a guy that's played for a division rival, knows that opponent really well, and is coming off the best year of his career. Well, in the Broncos, they saw him only once last season. Obviously, in the two matchups against the Chargers early on, week six was when

Starting point is 00:03:52 J.K. Dobbins kind of got introduced to, you know, against the Broncos as a charger. And look, I would say that J.K. Dobbins was a big reason why the Chargers won that game initially in that first matchup. in Denver. Yes, pass or tan going down was a big blow. But early on in the first half, really, the story was J.K. Dobbins and Ladd McConkey. But J.K. Dobbins, you know, he kept drives alive. He kept churning out a couple of, you know, first downs picking up. He had a rushing touchdown. He ends up finishing that game against Denver, you know, which was one of the better run defenses in the NFL last season. He had 25 carries for 96 yards, one touchdown there. But a lot of that

Starting point is 00:04:25 production came in that first half there against that Broncos defense. And so he was a big reason why the Chargers offense was having the success. that it was at times last season. There was an argument to be made that he was the offense and that the run game really kind of struggled without him in the lineup. They didn't play. He didn't play in that Thursday night football matchup against Denver late in the season. He was back the very next week.

Starting point is 00:04:46 And I just remember late in the year watching a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Remember that shootout that the Bengals and the Chargers had there? I believe it was on Sunday night football in Cincinnati. And then it was J.K. Dobbins really kind of making his hay there, breaking off a, you know, a game win. touchdown essentially late in that fourth quarter in the weaning moments. He can be a difference maker if healthy, right? I think that's our discussion here as it pertains to stacking the running back position.

Starting point is 00:05:13 You said it early on here in the show that, you know, the running back pecking order right now is confusing. I think if J.K. Dobbins ends up signing, it makes it a little bit more confusing because once again, it's like, all right, you have a veteran guy when healthy. I think he can be a very good fit here for Sean Pay. I think he's an explosive runner, patient in between the tackles. And obviously, I think can be an impactful player out of the backfield, potentially in the past catching game. Past protection is obviously another factor, I think,

Starting point is 00:05:40 where J.K. Dobbins is pretty good here. But the injury history is where all the questions come in. This is a guy who suffered ACL injuries. I believe he suffered an Achilles injury before. He dealt with an MCL sprain last year that knocked him out of action for four games, put him on short-term IR. There's a reason he obviously has been on site. I think a lot of it is, okay, his injury history,

Starting point is 00:06:00 being the primary factor. But what would he bring to the table here for the Broncos running back room, Sarah, in your opinion, when it comes to not necessarily messing with guys like RJ Harvey, Adrick Estime, Blake Watson, or even Julio McLaughlinck, you don't want this sign that it come in and uproot your vision that you have with these guys because these guys have a chance to be a little bit more long term compared to a guy like Dobbins, who could be a short-term, low-risk, high-reward type of addition.

Starting point is 00:06:26 You have to believe that you're getting exactly what you got last year from, or at least what the Chargers got last year from him. And what the Chargers got last year from him, Cody, J.K. Dobbins was fourth in the NFL in total broken tackles, which is kind of a crazy statistic considering what you mentioned earlier, which is the fact that he missed four games due to injury. So he finished the season among all running backs fourth with 24 broken tackles. And then yards after contact per attempt,

Starting point is 00:06:56 Cody, he was seventh in the NFL last year at 2.5 yards after contact per attempt. That's just behind other qualifying players like, you know, Derek Henry tied at the top of the league with Tank Bigsby at 2.8 yards after contact per attempt. Bucky Irving and Antonio Gibson, 2.7. So, I mean, we're not, we're talking about a fraction of difference there in terms of yards after contact. And really, when you break it down, I mean, this is, I don't know, it kind of makes the move a lot more interesting, doesn't it? When you talk about how many yards after contact he created last year, especially on a per attempt basis because he's out there maximizing his carries. He did get over a thousand yards from scrimmage for the first time in his NFL

Starting point is 00:07:38 career. So there's ways to look at this and say, all right, man, the Broncos got somebody last year who was top 10 in very important categories that this team stunk at last year. And yards after contact and yards after contact per attempt. The Broncos were bad in that regard last season, especially Javante Williams, where that was his kind of calling card coming out of UNC. It just disappeared after his injury. I think the encouraging thing for a guy like Dobbins is that yards after contact, that crept way up after. And it didn't just creep way up.

Starting point is 00:08:11 It skyrocketed when he came back from injury last year. So if the Broncos can get that, man, this running back room all of a sudden is a lot more dynamic. Well, and it just goes back to, you know, you want to have a dynamic running back room. but as I have said before, and this is my belief here with Sean Peyton, he has to figure out a way to clearly establish and define the roles of these guys at this position. Because, yes, it is a position that's going to absorb the most contact, more wear and tear. But the Bronco is just trying to figure out who the high hand was on a week-to-week basis last year. I think that's also a big reason the run game struggled combined with some other factors there.

Starting point is 00:08:46 You don't want to muddy the waters further at this position. So I think the idea of J.K. Dobbins is great. I think on paper, but if it's going to get in the way of interfering with maybe the projection, the development of some of these other guys that you have here, I don't know necessarily if I'm going to be on board with that, but I think you would be a welcome addition here to this team. And look, Broncos, country, want to know your thoughts as well about the Broncos' interest here in JK Dobbins. I'll also be curious to know whether they eat at Elways, Shanahan's, or Los Dost, Patrios.

Starting point is 00:09:14 And if they end up eating at Elways, we'll see if he gets a steak rather than a burger like our good friend Vic Fangio did initially when he went there. I'll never forget when that happened. But Broncos country chime in with your thoughts here on J.K. Dobbins and what a move with Denver would possibly mean in your eyes. But one thing we are going to analyze here is that if J.K. Dobbins doesn't sign, what is the plan with the other running backs at this position? We'll break that down and much more on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. This episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Fanduel, the NBA finals. They are almost officially here.

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Starting point is 00:11:00 They ain't just going to be given all that they need in order to succeed at the NFL level. Cody and I are going to break down what a J.K. Dobbins signing would mean in terms of young guys like Adrick Estime, Jalilil McLaughlin and others on this Broncos roster. But as always, Broncos country, we appreciate you so much for making us your first and apparently second listen of the day here as we're in a bonus episode. If you haven't already done so, you're going to want to subscribe so you don't miss episodes like this in case the Broncos do end up signing J.K. Dobbins or making any other sorts of move because we always got you covered every single day here.

Starting point is 00:11:35 Cody, I've, like we talked about, we're kind of on the fence about whether or not we like this move. I think there's ways to justify it. I'll always get excited about a guy joining the Denver Broncos if that ends up being the case. Like if J.K. Dobbins is rocking the orange and blue, hey, I'm rocking with J.K. Dobbins. But at the same time, you and I talk all offseason about team building. And we talk about these young guys and the vision for the young guys and how the Broncos need to get them involved. Heck, Sean Payton himself just said that Audrick Estimate is a guy that needs a high

Starting point is 00:12:07 volume of touches to be the best version of himself that he can be. It doesn't really feel like signing J.K. Dobbins goes hand in hand with that. It feels like that's a competing thing. And very directly. No, 100%. It goes back to what you and I talked about an earlier episode this week of lockdown Broncos about what Sean Payton said about Audrey Guestimate, where we kind of deciphered his comments where he said he's going to get those opportunities, where we deciphered that as like, it's not necessarily a guarantee for Audrey Guestim to have this perfectly carved out, defined role for the team. He's going to have to go out there and earn it, protect the football. And he's going to have to obviously be impressive when he is running the

Starting point is 00:12:41 ball here. Once again, I make the comparison to muddying the water a little bit, right? When you add another running back into the mix of a room that already has a lot of questions about it, some exciting potential developments with some of the younger guys, I get it. But when you add in another guy here, it really makes you wonder at this late in the season, I understand it, right? You're getting ready for training camp next month. But J.K. Dobbins has been available for quite some time. Why is it just now one week before mandatory mini camp where the team suddenly has more interest in bringing him in seeing if he's going to be a good fit for what the Broncos want to do? or is this just going to be more of a, hey, we want to invite you to training camp.

Starting point is 00:13:19 We'll see what happens from their worst case scenario. You know, you don't end up with us, but you showcase enough of yourself that another team out there picks you up because they see that you're healthy. That's certainly a factor here. But I'm, once again, Sean Payton and the Broncos have stood firm in their belief that we love our young running back room. Granted, a lot of it is unproven. Most of it is pretty much unproven.

Starting point is 00:13:41 J.K. Dobbins adds some veteran appeal there. He's got some proven production to it. his game. I can see that. But if that's the plan, I mean, with J.K. Dobbins, if he does sign, who does it upend in this running back room? I mean, does that make the Broncos, you know, because you have to make a corresponding move? Does that suddenly mean that Tyler Badegh gets released? Blake Watson, who, ironically enough, we just talk about, you know, tomorrow's episode show, an early pre for Broncos country. We talked about the underrated role that Blake Watson could have here for this offense and special teams. That's going to come out tomorrow. We already recorded that

Starting point is 00:14:14 before all this came out today. But that's just what I wonder is like, how does this now, you're already confused at the pecking order, now this just adds another wrinkle into it. In your opinion, how do you see this going? If J.K. Dobbins signs, who does it up end in this running back room?

Starting point is 00:14:30 I think we have to start with Julio McLaughlin, right? And I hate to continue to bag on the guy because. Over Badee? Yeah, I mean, well, it could be both of those guys, to be honest with you. Yeah, Badee, Watson, and McLaughlin. Loughlin, I think all three of those guys are immediately like, you know, Kevin from home alone, that's like, yeah, you know, they're doing that with this kind of assigning because it does nothing to

Starting point is 00:14:54 help their chances to bring in a guy like this who, like I said, was top 10 in yards after contact per attempt, top 10 in total yards after coming. All these sorts of things, you're bringing in a guy who's proven that he can do it at a high level, even with the injuries in his history. And it is bringing what the Broncos lacked last year. I just think if you're trying to keep three backs on the roster, it wipes out the idea of the unsung guys making it, right? I think if you're bringing in J.K. Dobbins, your pecking order, if you keep three guys, is obvious.

Starting point is 00:15:27 It's obviously Audric Estime. It's R.J. Harvey, the guy you just took in the second round. And then Dobbins, who is all, for all intents and purposes, the only proven guy on this team at an important position, right? And that includes Jalil McLaughlin. He isn't proven that he can be a three down back. Like, can he contribute on third downs? Yes.

Starting point is 00:15:48 But is he at all three downs back? He's not. He's a change of pace guy. So Dobbins is a guy that you can say all three downs. Hey, we need five yards on first down. Dobbins can do it. We need a pass protection on third down. Dobbins can do it.

Starting point is 00:16:04 We need somebody to go out there and catch a pass on third and three. Dobbins can do it. Nobody else has proven that they can do that consistent. So I just think that it's really interesting when you want to root for the young guys. And I think Sean does too. This says to those young guys like you're going to have to scrape and claw your way to this roster if you're going to make it at all. Well, and you're also going to get a response as well because look, that running back room, that is the primary competition taking place here this off season for Denver.

Starting point is 00:16:34 You know, we're not worried about a quarterback controversy or quarterback battle this year. It's a running back battle. And certainly when you bring in guys, there is this effect. I think from a psychological standpoint, you're at that position. They bring in a guy and you're like, okay, do they not believe in us or what we can do? It either puts a chip on your shoulder or you play a little bit more mad. Like you understand at this point, like they're probably not looking at me. I'm probably not going to be a serious option for them.

Starting point is 00:17:00 Send me somewhere else, right? You might even see that. I'm curious to see how this running back room responds. But maybe we'll see J.K. Dobbins out there on 30. day morning as the Broncos prepare for OTAs where media we're going to be allowed to attend that practice. So you're going to get a full on recap of OTAs tomorrow. Plus you're going to get an episode to start off your day of Blake Watson, the under the radar role. We think he can play for the offense. Caleb Loner's development.

Starting point is 00:17:23 There's a lot of going on Broncos country. This is an exciting time, especially as a season creeps one step closer. But with that said, Broncos Country, that I'll wrap up today's bonus episode of the show. Make sure you subscribe or follow it. Be coming every day. If you haven't done so already, so you never miss out of what's going on with your favorite team. Sarah and myself will be back tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos INTEREST In J.K. Dobbins Could SHAKE UP Running Back Room

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