The Denver Broncos are celebrating their 2025 NFL Draft class one week after the picks were made official, and one of the players being discussed the most is the running back the team took in the second round, R.J. Harvey.
There is plenty of excitement surrounding Harvey's shiftiness and athletic ability and the belief is that he will fit Sean Payton's offense like a glove. But one player on the roster may not fit as well with the team as he has in previous seasons.
Jaleel McLaughlin, undrafted in 2023, has been a nice sparkplug in spots for the Broncos the past two seasons, rushing for 906 yards. He's also been a tremendous receiver out of the backfield, catching 55 passes. But with Harvey in the lineup and Audric Estime being used as the short-yardage, power back, there will likely be far fewer opportunities for McLaughlin.
The Broncos also have Tyler Badie and Blake Watson on the roster, but at least one of them is likely to be cut after the preseason or placed on the practice squad.
The team's regular-season rotation figures to be Harvey-Estime-McLaughlin. Payton prefers a committee approach as he was well known for it during his time with the New Orleans Saints.
McLaughlin only has 189 career rushing attempts and is still just 24 years old (25 in September) so there should be plenty of tread left on the tires. McLaughlin was in on just 26.8 percent of the team's offensive snaps last season, but that was with Javonte Williams still on the team. That number could dip even lower this coming season due to Harvey, mainly because he and McLaughlin have a similar style.
The Broncos are going to want their electric new rookie on the field as often as possible, and McLaughlin could easily get lost in the shuffle.
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