Denver Broncos undrafted rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin dominated in preseason and won a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
After the Broncos set their initial roster last week, general manager George Paton spoke about the process of McLaughlin going from joining the team in May to becoming a roster lock in August.
“You start recruiting these guys early in the process, especially the guys that aren’t going to get drafted,” Paton said of signing undrafted free agent. “It’s part of the interview process. We thought he was a good player. We didn’t quite know what we were getting. You never know with [college] free agents and what you’re quite getting. He went to two schools, obviously.
“The tape was good, but we’ve had a lot of those guys over the years when they come in here [and don’t pan out]. He passed every test. From the minute he showed up in rookie minicamp, it wasn’t too big. Then he’s working out with the big boys on varsity. It wasn’t too big. Then we get the pads on, and he makes plays every day. We were really not surprised [in preseason]. We were all looking forward to the first game to see what he could do, and he made plays every game.”
McLaughlin led the team with 113 rushing yards in preseason on 21 carries (5.38 yards per tote) and he led the NFL with four touchdowns. Denver’s staff wasn’t surprised to see that kind of production after the running back’s impressive summer.
Broncos coach Sean Payton knew McLaughlin would be on a 53-man roster after the team’s preseason opener.
“In San Francisco when the game ended, I knew he was on track to be on our team or someone else’s if we chose not to put him on our roster,” Payton said. “I think that was a big game for him. I said this — and you guys have watched the practices — it wasn’t anything that surprised us. We had seen it. To his credit, it was pretty consistent.”
McLaughlin is now set to serve as the team’s third-string running back this season behind starter Javonte Williams and primary backup Samaje Perine. He will make his NFL debut when Denver hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.
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