Broncos OC Joe Lombardi Gushes on 'Impressive' Second-Year RB

Call it the dreaded sophomore curse, but many intriguing prospects regress in Year 2. There are no hard and fast rules for avoiding the pitfalls of a damaging step back, but grinding even harder is always a sensible approach.

On that front, 23-year-old Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin is at a discernible advantage. McLaughlin arriving at Broncos HQ as early as 5:30 am each morning has become a routine that has impressed his coaches.

Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is among that number, and he gets the chance to build on McLaughlin's intriguing potential in Year 2. Lombardi is encouraged by the early returns thus far.

"One thing you know about Jaleel is that he's going to work hard," Lombardi said on Thursday. "Whatever you ask him to do, he's going to work at it. Obviously, we're not in pads so you can't see everything, but just as far as his intention and assignment on pass protection has been outstanding. I don't know if there's anyone who works harder than him. His speed, his acceleration, his explosiveness has all been impressive this spring."

It's still early to get a definitive gauge on McLaughlin's trajectory, so the NCAA's all-time leading rusher concedes he's still learning on the job but staying hungry.

"I didn't even do half the stuff that I was supposed to do out there," McLaughlin said via Denver Sports' Andrew Mason. "I feel like there was a lot that I left out there on the football field, and that's what makes me hungrier than ever."

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin says he watched his rookie film and realized that “I didn’t even do half the stuff that I was supposed to do out there. I feel like there was a lot that I left out there on the football field, and that’s what makes me hungrier than ever.” pic.twitter.com/QMdZDp8P1k
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) June 13, 2024

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Framed in the context of head coach Sean Payton's ongoing quest to unearth his next "joker" weapon within the offense, McLaughlin will likely get some looks at filling that specialized role. Payton is always on the lookout for a dynamic back who can bust a game wide open, but they often reveal themselves when he least expects it.

Payton's resume of unearthing such gems dates back to the early 2000s with the Dallas Cowboys and the late stretch of his storied tenure with the New Orleans Saints.

"I can point to an example, it's one of the harder positions to evaluate in this kind of setting," Payton said of OTAs. "You get to see the passing game, but there have been two or three instances in my past where I thought what was a back was going to be was entirely different when we got into pads. Even in Dallas with [former Cowboys RB] Marion Barber—the late Marion Barber—and [former Cowboys RB] Julius Jones. It's one of those positions that really gets a little clearer when you see them in pads running and blocking. I can recall a free agent tryout we had that I thought was going to be more of a 'Scat back' and then became a much more physical runner than we ever expected.[Saints RB] Alvin Kamara was a different player than we thought we were getting when we drafted him. We drafted a guy who was the No.2 back at Tennessee. We saw 'Joker' traits and then the first handoff in the preseason, he goes 52 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden, we may want to run him off-tackle. That is hard to see here but it is easier to see when you get into training camp and the preseason."

McLaughlin's big-play potential has been tantalizingly apparent for almost a year now, but it's the nitty-gritty work in pass protection that will determine whether he garners an extended number of snaps. However, recreating the physical nature of pass pro conditions has it's drawbacks this time of year, especially without contact and pads.

Lombardi is well aware the Broncos must overcome those obstacles, so their preparation work has emphasized technique in the meantime.

"There are strength improvements that go with that, then it's technique," Lombardi said. "But to your point, it's hard to judge anchor because no one's ever hitting them. So you're working on leverage, body position, the approach to the block, all those things. But the rubber doesn't really hit the road until the pads come on."

Should Denver come to rely on McLaughlin to execute his blocking assignments with the first-team offense, he might be off to the races — if the light comes on. But there's no escaping the reality that McLaughlin's natural skill set could indeed thrive in Payton's dynamic offense.

Furthermore, there have been rumblings that incumbent starter Javonte Williams is not guaranteed a roster spot. While it's far too early to indulge in such outlandish talk, the more McLaughlin impresses his coaches, the more the plot will thicken relative to Williams' outlook.

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