We are close enough to training camp starting for the Denver Broncos that we can start to sketch out what we think a successful rookie season might look like for running back RJ Harvey.
For Harvey, those expectations should begin and end with cracking the 1,000-yard rushing mark. It’s something that hasn’t been done by a Denver player since Phillip Lindsay in 2019.
“I know J.K. Dobbins changes some things, but RJ Harvey could do some damage,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes said on SportsCenter on June 26. “The Broncos have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. They did in 2024, as well, they just didn’t have the talent to take advantage of it at running back.”
ESPN’s Field Yates also thinks the Broncos’ 1,000-yard rusher drought will come to an end with Harvey, a second round pick (No. 60 overall).
“Broncos running back RJ Harvey will rush for 1,000-plus yards and catch 40-plus passes,” Yates wrote on May 9. “Some were surprised that Harvey lasted until late in Round 2, but I thought it was right on the money (Harvey was 65th on my final board). He gives me Bucky Irving vibes as a smaller back who plays and runs bigger, with explosive running skills and legit receiving upside.”
Irving is a great comparison — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout was a fourth round pick and the only NFL rookie to crack 1,000 rushing yards in 2024.
Broncos Have History of Great Rookie RBs
Interestingly enough, the Broncos have 2 of the Top 10 seasons for a rookie running back in NFL history with Mike Anderson’s 1,487 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2000 and Clinton Portis with 1,508 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2002.
Were Harvey to hit anything close to those numbers, it would be hard not to see the Broncos not making it back to the playoffs for the second season in a row and just second time since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season.
The Broncos have seen their running game fall on hard times in recent years, and you can make an argument it bottomed out in 2024 when Javonte Williams led Denver with 513 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns while averaging just 3.7 yards per carry in 17 games.
What the Broncos might be able to do with an elite running back is tantalizing, because they already have an elite offensive line and could have an elite quarterback in 2024 first round pick Bo Nix.
Denver isn’t putting all of its eggs in Harvey’s basket, either. They signed veteran J.K. Dobbins to a 1-year, $2.75 million contract on June 10 and Williams left for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. Returners Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin are both on notice as well.
Broncos Surprised by Passing on RB in First Round
If you followed any of the coverage of the Broncos headed into the 2025 NFL draft, you probably would have bet even money on them taking a running back in the first round — most notably North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
The Broncos flipped the script with their first round pick and went against the experts when they took versatile Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron. While Barron is a great player, i wast kind of a head scratching move considering the Broncos already have a stacked secondary that features NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II.
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