You don’t have to be an NFL insider to realize the Denver Broncos have one glaring position need headed into the 2025 season and that it’s at running back.
The Broncos haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2019 and the player who led the team in rushing 2 of the last 3 seasons â Javonte Williams â is gone to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency.
The Broncos don’t just have a need to establish a featured back, they have a need to revamp the entire position. From the starter to reliable backups, they need it all.
The reality is the Broncos probably aren’t going to ascend higher than they did in 2024, when they lost in the AFC Wild Card Round, without improving their running game. Another reality is sitting with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round doesn’t guarantee they’ll get one of the running backs with first round grades in Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
The Broncos are in luck, though. This year’s draft class is stacked at running back, so they should be able to get really good value at the position in the later rounds. That means they might be able to leverage their first round pick into a meaningful trade haul, which could be the smartest move possible.
The key to that is finding desperate trade partners â figure out what teams behind them in the first round are gung-ho for a player they think they can get at No. 20 overall or figure out what teams are in need of a complete overhaul that might necessitate two first round picks in a single year, a la what the Houston Texans did in 2022 when they landed quarterback C.J. Stroud and linebacker Will Anderson in the first round.
Gauging Trade Partners for the No. 20 Overall Pick
The best target for a trade partner for the Broncos might be the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who could probably be talked into swapping first round picks â the Eagles pick at No. 32 â along with a further trade package.
The Eagles have been on a hot streak drafting defensive backs and might be enticed to move up 12 spots to take a safety to replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson â possibly South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori.
In exchange, the Broncos could offer up the swap of first rounders along with their fourth round pick (No. 122 overall) and the last of their sixth round picks (No. 228 overall) in exchange for a third round pick (No. 96 overall) and the last of the Eagles’ three fifth round picks (No. 168 overall).
What Happens if Broncos Don’t Make Moves
There is another, chaotic option the Broncos could choose at running back. That would be staying put and putting their faith in the running backs they have on the roster.
While it won’t make fans happy, it probably wouldn’t be as dire as we might think. It would likely mean Jaleel McLaughlin stepping into the starting role and Audric Estime as his backup.
McLaughlin was second on the Broncos with 496 rushing yards and 1 touchdown while averaging 4.4 yards per carry in 2024 while Estime had 310 rushing yards and 1 touchdown while averaging 4.4 yards per carry during his rookie year.
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