The Denver Broncos have had a solid but not spectacular offseason so far. There haven’t been any moves that have drawn widespread accolades but there also haven’t been any moves that have drawn widespread criticism.
For a team playing with over $30 million in dead cap space in 2025, that’s not a bad place to be.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, their biggest question mark position at the end of the regular season still remains a question mark, with no real solutions at running back and last year’s leading rusher, Javonte Williams, off to the Dallas Cowboys on a 1-year, $3 million free agent contract.
While there might be an answer coming in the NFL draft, putting all their eggs in one basket might not be the smartest move for the Broncos, who should take a long look at signing 4-time Pro Bowler and NFL All-Pro running back Nick Chubb.
“The Broncos have a lot of snaps, carries and receptions up for grabs after Javonte Williams’ departure to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote o March 19. ” … look for the Broncos to add at least one running back in the draft and end of free agency, if not more.”
Chubb’s career has gone off the rails due to injuries and he’s only played 10 games over the last 2 seasons thanks to a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season and a broken foot in Week 15 of the 2024 season.
Chubb Could Be Denver’s ‘Reclamation Project’
The Locked on Broncos podcast singled out Chubb as a possible free agent signee for Denver head coach Sean Payton on March 19.
From Locked on Broncos: “The Broncos have built an environment under Sean Payton where they might be more inclined toward reclamation projects, now, as opposed to a couple of years ago where they’re building culture … I really love the idea of Nick Chubb (at running back) … a guy like Nick Chubb could really help elevate a lot of players in that Denver offense, regardless of if they’re wide receivers, tight ends or whoever just because he’s going to show everybody how to come in and be a pro.”
Chubb was one of the NFL’s best running for the first 5 seasons of his career after the Cleveland Browns drafted him in the second round (No. 35 overall) out of Georgia in the 2018 NFL draft, including 4 consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards from 2019 to 2022. He signed a 3-year, $36 million contract extension in July 2021 and had a career year in 2022 with 1,525 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry to go with 239 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Broncos Haven’t Had 1,000-Yard Back Since 2019
The Broncos ended a decade-long postseason drought in 2024 by going 10-7 and sneaking into the AFC Playoffs, where they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round.
They did so without almost any help from their run game, where Williams led the team with 513 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns but averaged just 3.7 yards per carry.
Denver hasn’t had a running back rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season since Phillip Lindsay in 2019.
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Former $36 Million NFL All-Pro RB Could Be ‘Reclamation Project’ for Broncos