Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Hey Parker! I’m pretty happy with our running back situation with Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and now Jaleel McLaughlin. How do you think the splits are going to be with those three this season?
— Marshall, Parker
Hey Marshall, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. A lot of love recently for Jaleel McLaughlin. He’s become the story of training camp, at least as far as surprises go.
It’s hard to say what the split of playing time and touches will be mostly because there’s really only one way to find out how Williams holds up in returning to regular-season play. His recovery has been nothing short of remarkable, but there’s no guarantee he’s going to get 15-18 carries every week and bounce back normally each time.
The next question becomes whether Sean Payton and the Broncos think McLaughlin is a nice piece who can provide a different pace, catch a few passes and pop a big play every once in a while or if they think he’s a game-changer. It’s clear they like him, but I’m not sure we know the answer to that question all the way yet. They may not, either.
At this point the answer to your question starts with what we know and what we don’t. The thing we know is Perine’s been in there the whole way and has looked really solid this offseason. I think he’s the safest bet for double-digit touches week in and week out early in the season. If they’re getting contributions from all three, all the better.
The mix is likely to change over the course of the season because of wear and tear and also just as the Broncos figure out who they are as an offense and what they do well. But early on I’d guess Perine, then Williams, then McLaughlin getting a handful of chances per game between running the ball and catching it.
I haven’t seen too many of the preseason games yet because they’re preseason games. Any of the rookies looking impressive to you so far?
— Mike E., Westminster
We’ve covered McLaughlin, so let’s get to a couple of others. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph certainly piqued my interest when he said of inside linebacker Drew Sanders “he makes a play a day that nobody else can make.” The other guys playing his position — Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton — are solid players, so that’s saying something. Sanders size and athletic ability jumps off the page. It’s a lot to learn how to play in the middle of the field — he really only did it last year at Arkansas after playing more on the edge at Alabama earlier in his college career. But that leads to the next intriguing point: Joseph said they’ll use him in ways during the season that they don’t show in camp. So, keep an eye on that.
Less in the true “standout” category, but I’m interested to see what happens with rookie tackles Demontrey Jacobs and Alex Palczewski. They’ve been running more and more with the No. 2 groups — though one could bump back to the No. 3 line when starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey returns. Maybe they both end up on the practice squad, but the offensive line group past the starting five looks wide open. At this point it feels like Cam Fleming and Kyle Fuller probably make the team, but that would leave likely two more spots and I’m not sure anybody’s grabbed the bull by the horns and grabbed one just yet. Similar for outside linebackers Marcus Haynes and Thomas Incoom. They may end up as practice squad guys, but they’ve both flashed in practice over the course of camp.
I can’t believe Mike Shanahan didn’t advance to the Hall of Fame finalist status. There are only four head coaches with two Super Bowl wins not in the Hall of Fame and only one has more regular victories than him (Andy Reid with 247). I’d argue that he’s a better candidate than guys who are already there like Bill Cowher, Dick Vermeil and Tony Dungy.
— Cameron, Lakewood
You don’t have to convince me, Cameron. Plus, the only reason Reid isn’t in already is he’s still coaching. Six coaches have won back-to-back Super Bowls. Chuck Noll did it twice, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick and Shanahan. The first five are in the Hall. Shanahan will have to wait at least one more year.
It’s an interesting conversation because Buddy Parker, this year’s coach/contributor finalist, is certainly deserving, too. But each year Shanahan doesn’t get in, the conversation seems a little bit more ridiculous. His time will come. It could well be in 2024. Whenever it does, it’ll be overdue but still will result in quite a celebration around here.
Who are the biggest guys on the bubble right now?
— Vince K., Thornton
Well, Jacobs is 6-foot-6 and 315 and defensive lineman Elijah Garcia is 6-5, 302. OK, OK, bad joke.
As mentioned above, the offensive line feels pretty bubbl-y at the moment. Would have said receiver, too, but the bubble keeps shrinking as guys get injured — Jalen Virgil on Saturday being the latest. Even still, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Kendall Hinton and Montrell Washington all feel very much on the bubble at this point after you figure a safe trio of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims, Jr. and then probably Brandon Johnson (assuming he gets healthy, which he appears to be).
Cornerback is interesting, too. You’ve got starters Pat Surtain II and Damarri Mathis, then a pair of guys racing to get healthy by opening day in K’Waun Williams (ankle) and Riley Moss (core). If both are good to go, there’s one or maybe two spots depending on how many safeties the Broncos take. If both need more time, you could see some roster maneuvering to take three or even four of JaQuan McMillian, Essang Bassey, Fabian Moreau, Faion Hicks and Tremon Smith.
Oh, and there’s Albert Okwuegbunam. He threw a pretty good block on McLaughlin’s long kick return Saturday against the Niners. But is he going to make the roster ast TE4? Or is that job going to go to undrafted rookie Nate Adkins? Depends on if Payton and company see Albert O. as redundant to Greg Dulcich and not much of a helper on special teams or if they see him as making progress and worth continuing to develop. Gut says they’d think about keeping Adkins or going light at tight end — maybe to keep newly acquired running back and special teams staple Dwayne Washington as a fourth back — but there’s still a few days left to sort it out.
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