Tag: Jaleel McLaughlin

Javonte Williams and Broncos’ ground game are back on track

Javonte Williams averaged 4.8 yards per carry in Week 4. “He has the ability to be one of the best in the league,” Garett Bolles said.

After struggling through the first three weeks of the season, Javonte Williams and the Denver Broncos‘ ground game finally got back on track against the New York Jets in Week 4.

Williams rushed 16 times for 77 yards against the Jets, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Jaleel McLaughlin added nine carries for 46 yards (5.1 YPC). That’s the kind of production Denver hoped to see from its backfield this fall.

Bronco coach Sean Payton credited the offensive line following a 10-9 win over the Jets.

“Well, I thought the key started up front,” Payton said Sunday. “We got to some six holes, seven-hole wide zones, we got to some duo schemes, we brought them. We knew analytically this was a team that’s better in coverage and you had a little bit more susceptible, if you will, in the run game. Know we hit a couple traps, I could tell the lineman felt like at halftime that, ‘Hey, just keep [running ]’ – well that’s easy too when it was as wet as it was. Ultimately though when it dried up, we were going to have to make a play or two in the passing game. But those guys up front, I think were the key.”

Garett Bolles, Denver’s left tackle, is always eager to open up running lanes.

“He’s a special back,” Bolles said of Williams. “He has the ability to be one of the best in the league, but we need to open up holes and show his talent and that’s what we did today. I’m just grateful for Ben (Powers), Luke (Wattenberg), Quinn (Meinerz), ‘Palco’ (Alex Palczewski), everybody that we had up front we just grinded it out and our backs found the running lanes and hit the holes, and we knew what we needed to do today.”

The Broncos finished the day with 126 rushing yards, their second-best total of the season. Sunday was a step forward, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

“I thought Javonte and Jaleel played well yesterday,” Payton said Monday. “Meinerz got a game ball. I thought we were physical. It was a messy first half. It was difficult with the conditions, and yet that’s just the way that game unfolded. That’s still a work in progress, and I want it to rest on their shoulders too. Especially late in the game.

“We [had] a chance late in the game really with the final play on third down. Before we attempt the field goal, we can ice it there with a quarterback kind of crack sweep and we just didn’t get the blocks we needed. We’re building on that, and I think it’s going to be important for us going forward.”

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed 137.5 rushing yards per game this season. Williams and Co. will look to keep the momentum going in Week 5.

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Will the Broncos give RB Tyler Badie more carries this week?

After making the most of his limited opportunities, Broncos running back Tyler Badie deserves more carries.

Denver Broncos starting running back Javonte Williams had a quiet day on the ground against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rushing five times for 12 yards with a terrible 2.4 yards per carry average. Jaleel McLaughlin’s average (1.4 YPC) was even worse as he rushed five times for seven yards.

Denver’s offense got a spark in the fourth quarter when Tyler Badie entered the game and made the most of his opportunities. Sticking with the hot hand, Broncos coach Sean Payton gave Badie all seven carries in the fourth quarter against the Bucs and the 24-year-old back totaled 70 yards on the ground.

“He’s been really decisive,” Payton said of Badie. “He’s had some big runs for us. He’s smart. He knows the system. He’s good in the passing game, he brings a lot.”

Badie only played in two of the team’s three games this season, but he leads the team’s running backs in yards (86) and yards per carry (8.6). Badie has a small sample size of just 10 carries, but he’s earned the right to get more opportunities. Denver’s staff seemingly agrees with that assessment as Badie was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster this week.

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“He played great Sunday,” quarterback Bo Nix said of Badie’s performance in Week 3. “He provides extra depth for us at back. He’s just another one of those guys in the backfield that can provide explosive plays. We’re happy to get him and continue his production.

“At the same time, Jaleel and Javonte are going to continue to do what they do and what makes them great. I think we have a really good running back group right now.”

Nix, understandably so, gave a diplomatic response about the backfield, but fans want to see more from Badie. It is worth noting that Williams remains the team’s best pass-blocking running back. Badie is also two inches shorter and, more importantly, 23 pounds lighter than Williams. So Badie probably doesn’t have the size to emerge as a workhorse back, but could he be more involved going forward?

“We’ll see,” Payton said when asked what kind of role he envisions for Badie. “He’ll be kind of — we’ve taken three backs to a game and we’ll kind of continue to mix up the roles based on what we’re doing.”

Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi hinted this week that the team is not giving up on Williams or McLaughlin despite their poor numbers.

“Obviously Tyler got in there and had the big run, and he’s a guy that we really like,” Lombardi said. “[But] the run game is one of those things where not every run is going to be a 20-yard gain, and you stick with it, thinking you know the players that you have. Just because the stats tell you that they’re not gaining a bunch of yards doesn’t mean that they’ve all of a sudden turned to crap. So you just keep handing them the ball and know that we’ll keep getting better, the plan will keep getting better and we’ll keep blocking better. Their big runs are coming.

“It’s just like anything, it’s tempting when you’ve run the ball a few times early and you’re not gaining yards and just say, ‘To heck with this, we’re just going to start throwing.’ The run game is one of those things that if you stick with it, you’re going to start busting some runs. It’s just a patience thing and just getting better when we do run it.”

Badie was the team’s third-string running back in each of the last two games with rookie Blake Watson being a healthy scratch. Williams, McLaughlin and Badie figure to remain the three RBs dressing on game days. How the touches are divided up among them remains to be seen.

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Broncos fans call for Tyler Badie to start after impressive performance

Should the Broncos make Tyler Badie their new starting running back?

Denver Broncos running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin continue to struggle to make things happen on the ground.

McLaughlin had a nice juke on a touchdown run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but he finished the game with a 1.4 yards per carry average. Williams was only slightly better with 2.4 YPC.

Tyler Badie (“bidet“), meanwhile, got opportunities in the second half and made the most of them. He ripped off a 43-yard run in the fourth quarter and finished the game with nine carries for 70 yards with an impressive 7.8 YPC average.

Broncos fans and pundits have taken to Twitter/X to call for Badie to be the team’s starting running back going forward.

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After a 26-7 win over the Bucs, Denver coach Sean Payton was asked about Badie making the most of his carries.

“Yeah, look, I’m used to – right, wrong or indifferent – it’s easy to work two backs into a rotation; it’s hard with three,” Payton said. “It’s hard to feed three. He’d been practicing well.

“There were a handful of [plays ] – ‘Bad 21,’ we just abbreviate his tags B.A.D… ‘Bad 12’ – there were a handful of plays designed with his name on it and then he’s running well and so he gets some more plays, but we’ll keep working that combination. I was pleased that we were able to run the ball.”

After Sunday’s performance, Badie seems likely to have more involvement on offense in the coming weeks.

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Twitter reacts to Jaleel McLaughlin juking a defender out of his socks

What an impressive run by Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin!

Facing fourth-and-goal just outside the endzone in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Denver Broncos opted to go for it while leading 7-0.

Broncos coach Sean Payton called a pitch play to running back Jaleel McLaughlin. Bucs outside linebacker Anthony Nelson initially read the play well as he was in position to tackle McLaughlin well short of the end zone.

McLaughlin then pulled off a sick juke that sent Nelson to the ground as McLaughlin ran around the corner and reached the end zone for a score.

The play was a brilliant individual effort by the second-year running back:

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted to the run:

McLaughlin, 24, totaled 34 yards from scrimmage through the team’s first two games of the season. He has 18 yards and a touchdown so far today.

At the time of publication, the Broncos lead the Bucs 17-7 just before halftime.

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Sean Payton hints at potential personnel changes for Broncos

“We have to start really looking at who we are asking to do what,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Two weeks into the 2024 season, the Denver Broncos are struggling to move the ball and score points.

Broncos coach Sean Payton has attributed those struggles to several factors, including his own scheme and play-calling. Payton has also said Denver might be rotating in too many different players, and he seemed to hint that some personnel changes could be on the way.

“I just finished telling the coaches that that side of the ball needs to get cleaned up,” Payton said after a 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. “That starts with me. We have to start really looking at who we are asking to do what. It was frustrating because there were certain elements that went according to plan field position-wise. Our inability to score and convert third downs ultimately hurt us.”

Broncos running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin have averaged 2.28 yards per carry this season, and improving the ground game is a point of emphasis this week.

Denver’s passing attack hasn’t been much better.

“When you run a play and it has success, you look at the pieces,” Payton said. “When you run a play and it does not have success, are we putting our guys in the best position? We are rotating a lot of different personnel groups in and out. I do not know if that is helping us quite honestly. We need to evaluate that closely relative to our personnel.”

Payton said Wednesday that he thinks “reducing the variables” could help the offense, perhaps by simplifying the offense and using fewer personnel groups. The coach might also make changes to the specific players involved.

“It’s something that I think you have to look at as a coach,” Payton said. “You have to start, ‘All right, what could we do better?’ I think that’s one of the things that we’ve talked about quite a bit. How do we reduce the variables, and then who’s doing it? Those two things I would point to.”

Payton did not mention any specific players by name, but tight end Greg Dulcich has struggled as a blocker and dropped two passes on Sunday, and the team’s receivers have been unremarkable while Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin have barely seen the field.

Already 0-2, the team now has a tough road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on deck. Changes could be coming for the desperate Broncos.

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Is it time to panic about Javonte Williams?

Javonte Williams is averaging just 2.1 yards per carry through two games. Not all of the blame falls on him, but the RB has underwhelmed.

Bad news, fantasy football managers.

Through a small two-game sample size, Javonte Williams has not returned to his pre-injury form the way we had hoped he would. There are 15 games left this season, so it’s possible that Williams could still turn things around, but his early-season production is alarming.

Williams has rushed 19 times for 40 yards, a woeful 2.1 yards per carry average. Not all of the blame falls on him. Defenses do not appear to be respecting rookie quarterback Bo Nix, so they can sell out to stop the run (and the stats back that up). Denver’s offensive line has also been inconsistent, and the playcalling could improve.

But Williams is not blameless.

“I’d say it’s probably a collection of all of us,” coach Sean Payton said Monday when asked about Williams’ lack of production. “Let’s start with design and scheme, and then let’s get into some execution. I just finished looking at a play that he gained three yards, and it really should be a gain of seven yards. How are we blocking the backside of this? Do we need to clean that up? He misses a cut or two in the game. We need to make sure we get his eyes where they need to be. In other words, having coached that position before, it’s very easy to overcoach. Where’s your key? There’s usually one defensive player that you’re keying on. Then he can predicate or dictate your cut.”

Payton indicated that there’s room for improvement across the board, including areas where Williams can improve. The coach also said he’s looking forward to seeing Williams run like he did this summer, a sign that Payton expects the running back to get better. However, Payton also hinted that Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie could get more work if Williams’ slump continues.

“I saw it in training camp,” Payton said. “I look forward to seeing it this season. In the meantime, some of these other guys are doing a good job. Jaleel is another one that needs more touches. We talked about Tyler Badie earlier. You’re patient, and yet at some point — and it starts up front obviously — you want to see those runs.”

Until the offense proves it can move the ball consistently, Williams will remain a risky play in fantasy football, and he might now be in danger of losing more touches to McLaughlin and Badie. The next two weeks could be make-or-break games for Williams’ 2024 outlook.

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Sean Payton explains Tyler Badie’s lack of touches vs. Steelers

Tyler Badie rushed for 16 yards on his lone carry, but was only given 3 snaps on offense. Why didn’t he get more opportunities?

On a day that the Denver Broncos struggled to run the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tyler Badie ripped off a 16-yard run.

After that, Badie had one target as a receiver out of the backfield (a two-yard catch), and he ended the game with just three snaps on offense.

During his Zoom conference call with reporters on Monday, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked why Badie did not get more opportunities after his 16-yard run.

“Fair question,” Payton said. “When we had the additional spot and obviously with Audric [Estime] down, then it’s about trying to find touches for the third back. [It’s] much easier with a rotation of two. Getting the third back involved, sometimes it’s special teams, sometimes in the passing game, and it was a good run by him.

“It’s something we’re — you take notice of it though. It’s something as a play caller, as someone who’s looking at the game, I’ve got to be able to see that. He is a player though who had his name on a lot of different plays that either were red zone or situational plays that we weren’t able to get to. It’s not intentional. It’s not like, ‘Hey we’re not aware.’ You’re just into the flow of the game and you have to be better that way.”

On an extremely small sample size of four career touches, Badie has totaled 42 yards and one touchdown. There’s no guarantee that he would remain productive with a larger workload, but with the run game struggling, Denver should find more touches for Badie.

When later asked about Javonte Williams (who averaged just 1.5 yards per carry), Payton indicated the offensive line was inconsistent, but he also noted that Williams himself could improve. Payton then hinted that other RBs could be in line to get more opportunities.

“He misses a cut or two in the game,” Payton said of watching Williams’ film from Sunday. “We need to make sure we get his eyes where they need to be. In other words, having coached that position before, it’s very easy to overcoach. Where’s your key? There’s usually one defensive player that you’re keying on. Then he can predicate or dictate your cut. I saw it in training camp. I look forward to seeing it this season.

“In the meantime, some of these other guys are doing a good job. Jaleel [McLaughlin] is another one that needs more touches. We talked about Tyler Badie earlier. You’re patient, and yet at some point — and it starts up front obviously — you want to see those runs.”

Up next for Denver’s offense is another tough test against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The good news for the Broncos is that Tampa Bay has allowed an average of 138.5 rushing yards through two games (13th-most). It is — once again — a small sample size, but Pittsburgh has allowed 76.5 rushing yards per game (fifth-fewest).

Perhaps Denver can get the ground game back on track this week. Time will tell if Badie has earned more touches after Sunday’s performance.

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5 takeaways from the Broncos’ 13-6 loss to Steelers

Here are five quick takeaways from the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers in Week 2.

The Denver Broncos dropped to 0-2 on Sunday afternoon following an ugly 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High. Here are five quick takeaways from the team’s latest defeat.

1. The run game is a mess: For the second straight week, quarterback Bo Nix ended the day as Denver’s leading rusher (four carries for 25 yards). Javonte Williams rushed 11 times for 17 yards with an awful 1.5 yards per carry average. Jaleel McLaughlin wasn’t much better, rushing three times for six yards. Either the backs aren’t running well, the offensive line isn’t blocking well, or defenses aren’t respecting Nix and selling out to stop the run. Perhaps it’s a combination of all three factors. Whatever’s to blame, Broncos coach Sean Payton needs to fix it quickly.

2. Greg Dulcich is running out of opportunities: After two injury-plagued seasons, Dulcich is finally healthy, but he’s not contributing much on offense. Dulchich remains a liability as a blocker and he had two poor drops on Sunday. The tight end only hauled in three catches for 16 yards on eight targets. Denver has to consider making Lucas Krull active next week — it’s hard to imagine Krull playing any worse than Dulcich at this point.

3. Kristian Welch won a role quickly: Just days after joining the Broncos, Welch ate into Cody Barton’s snaps in Week 1. Denver’s staff must have liked what they saw because Welch got the start against the Steelers in Week 2. Welch finished the game with two tackles and Barton rotated into the game, adding six tackles. Time will tell if one of Barton or Welch can lock down the inside linebacker job.

4. Sean Payton made questionable decisions: Trailing the Steelers by 13 points in the fourth quarter, Payton opted to kick a 34-yard field goal instead of attempting to convert a 4th-and-6 at Pittsburgh’s 16-yard line. After that field goal, the Broncos still needed two possessions to tie or take the lead. Had the team failed to pick up a fourth down, they still would have needed two possessions. Later in the game, after making it 13-6 with another field goal, Denver kicked it deep despite being past the two-minute warning with only one timeout left. After forcing a punt, the Broncos did end up getting the ball back with nine seconds, but that wasn’t enough time for a comeback. Payton opting to kick a field goal and his later deciding to not attempt an onside kick were curious decisions.

5. Bo Nix needs a lot more time: Through two games in the NFL, Nix now has zero touchdown passes and four interceptions, including a terrible interception in the red zone and a game-clinching turnover on the last play of Sunday’s game. Nix also made numerous inaccurate passes on Sunday. Fans in Denver can only hope it’s rookie jitters for the quarterback. There’s a lot of room for improvement for Nix going forward.

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5 things to watch for when Broncos host Steelers in Week 2

Here’s what we’ll be watching for when the Broncos host the Steelers on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos (0-1) are set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season this weekend. Here’s a quick list of five things we’ll be watching for on Sunday afternoon.

1. Russell Wilson’s status: Wilson (calf) sat out Pittsburgh’s season opener and Justin Fields helped the Steelers defeat the Atlanta Falcons 18-10. Wilson has been limited at practice this week and Fields appears to be the favorite to start again in Week 2, but Wilson would undoubtedly like an opportunity to prove a point against his former team. It remains to be seen if Wilson will be cleared to play.

2. Denver’s wide receiver rotation: Devaughn Vele was the team’s No. 3 receiver last week behind Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds, but the rookie now has a rib injury. That could lead to more work for Marvin Mims — who played just 12 snaps on offense last week — and Troy Franklin, who was a healthy scratch in Week 1.

3. Kristian Welch’s snaps on defense: Welch ate into Cody Barton’s snaps in the team’s season opener. While Alex Singleton played all 67 snaps on defense, Barton got 24 snaps on defense and Welch got 19 snaps despite joining the team just a few days earlier. It will be interesting to see if Welch gets even more work this week now that he has had more practice in Vance Joseph’s defense.

4. Broncos’ rushing attack: Javonte Williams averaged 2.9 yards per carry last week and Jaleel McLaughlin averaged 2.7 yards per tote. That’s not going to cut it, which coach Sean Payton made clear this week. After placing Audric Estime on injured reserve this week, Denver seems likely to utilize Blake Watson as RB3 on Sunday after the rookie was inactive in Week 1.

5. Bo Nix bouncing back: There’s no denying that Nix struggled in his NFL debut, as rookie quarterbacks often do. Now it’s time to see how Nix responds. Can he bounce back in his second NFL start, and will he push the ball down the field more than he did in his debut? We’ll find out Sunday.

Denver’s game against the Steelers will be regionally televised on CBS. The Broncos are considered a betting underdog despite playing at home.

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Broncos need more from their ground game to support Bo Nix

“It’s going to be hard to [play] quarterback period if that’s the best we can do running the ball,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton came to the defense of Bo Nix after the rookie struggled in his NFL debut, with the coach noting that the team’s rushing attack did little to help the young quarterback.

“[W]e’re going to look at the tape and we’re going to say this and that, but we’ve got to evaluate, us as coaches, we’ve got to evaluate the run plan and why it wasn’t as effective as we would like,” Payton said after a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. “It’s going to be hard to [play] quarterback period if that’s the best we can do running the ball.” 

Jaeel McLaughlin led the team with 10 carries, but they only went for 27 yards, an ugly 2.7 yards per carry average. Javonte Williams turned eight rushes into 23 yards (2.9 YPC) and Audric Estime had a small sample size of two carries for 14 yards (and one lost fumble). That’s not going to cut it.

“[F]or any quarterback playing, we’ve got to be more effective running the football,” Payton said. “If [you] take away his scrambling yards, I think we’re like somewhere [around] 60 yards rushing to their 140, so not nearly good enough.”

Nix ended up being the team’s leading rushing in yards with 35 on five carries. He also rushed for a touchdown late in the game.

“[T]here’s a couple of runs that we’ve got to see better vison-wise from the running back position,” Payton said Monday. “Audric has one, where I don’t know that his eyes are in the right spot, but he’s got a chance for a much bigger play. Javonte has one, so overall we’ve got to improve in that area.”

If the offense is going to have more success going forward, Nix will need more support from his backfield.

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