The Denver Broncos have had a huge start to the free-agent signing period, using the legal tampering portion of free agency to agree to deals with former San Francisco 49ers Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw. But the team has yet to address the offensive side of the ball.
Free-agent tight end Evan Engram was brought in for a visit, but it seems he could have more than one suitor and the Broncos could end up in a bidding war for his services. The team will keep tabs on that situation, but the running back spot is one where an addition could be needed.
Javonte Williams agreed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, leaving the Broncos with only Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson on the roster. The team could choose to sign a running back in free agency, select one in the draft, or both. If they choose option one, the list of available running backs is dwindling.
But Matt Johnson over at Sportsnaut sees the team giving a deal to Rico Dowdle, which would essentially amount to a trade with the Cowboys… Williams for Dowdle.
“With the Minnesota Vikings (Aaron Jones), Los Angeles Chargers (Najee Harris) and Dallas Cowboys (Javonte Williams) all addressing their need at running back early in NFL free agency, only a few options remain. Fortunately for Rico Dowdle, the Denver Broncos are one of the best landing spots possible. Broncos head coach Sean Payton is excellent at getting the most out of his backs in a committee and Dowdle is perfectly situated to be a 1A. He recorded 1,328 scrimmage yards last season on just 274 touches with a below-average Dallas Cowboys offensive line, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. In Denver, Payton’s scheme and the Broncos offensive line could position Dowdle for another 1,000-yard campaign with a career-high in touchdowns”, wrote Johnson.
There are some great points in there. He focused on how Dowdle greatly overperformed expectations on a poor team last year and the thought would be that running behind a vastly better offensive front, he could duplicate or perhaps even exceed his 2024 numbers.
Prior to last season, Dowdle had just 529 yards of total offense in his career. He nearly tripled those numbers in 2024. But the best part about signing Dowdle might be the low mileage he’s seen in the NFL. Injuries played a big part in that, limiting him to just five games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. But he has just 331 career rushing attempts. Many running backs will have that in a season, so the Broncos could get some fresh legs to be part of what is sure to be a committee approach in Sean Payton’s offense.
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