Broncos Could Add to RB Corps Amid Organized Team Activities

Denver works out former UFL rusher.

Jan 30, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team running back Marcus Yarns of Delaware (21) works through drills during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos might not be done bolstering their backfield.

Per UFL analyst Michael Del Negro, the Broncos hosted running back Marcus Yarns on a free-agent workout during Wednesday's set of Organized Team Activities. It's unclear whether Yarns was offered a contract following his audition.

Undrafted in 2025, Yarns spent part of his rookie offseason with the New Orleans Saints before being drafted by the Houston Gamblers in the United Football League draft. He appeared in nine games for Houston, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and one touchdown across 61 totes.

Collegiately, Yarns was an All-CAA talent at Delaware where he totaled 2,344 ground yards (6.4 YPC) and 23 TDs over 44 games, adding 64 receptions for 812 yards and 11 scores.

"Two-year starter from the FCS who needs a very specific role to have a long-term chance," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "Yarns was a productive three-down player at Delaware. He’s a slender long-strider with good top-end speed but has very little contact balance and is not built for interior runs in the NFL. He will need to improve his route-running so he can rebrand as a change-of-pace slasher with pass-catching talent."

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Delaware running back Marcus Yarns (RB31) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Where He Would Fit In

Nobody will accuse the Broncos of being underweight at the running back position. The club re-signed J.K. Dobbins to return as the starter and selected Jonah Coleman in the draft to serve as Dobbins' potential future successor. They also brought back Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie and still have sophomore change-of-pace man RJ Harvey.

Coleman, a fourth-round pick, is expected to compete with (and likely overtake) Harvey for the RB2 role due to his three-down skill set — the ability to run, catch, and pass-protect.

“I think as you go through the reads on the runner [Jonah Coleman] for instance, both Jonah and then there was one other back we kept thinking… They were graded early in the third, end of the second," head coach Sean Payton said after the draft. "That’s that tough scenario, ‘Will they make it to 108?’ It helped they were both available because we had discussed even climbing back. So Jonah came in for a visit. We spent a lot of time with him. I saw something that compared his running style, and I think the comparison was [RB] J.K. [Dobbins], and I think that’s a compliment obviously to the way Dobbins runs. He’s a physical runner. So we were real familiar with him."

If signed, Yarns would likely battle fellow end-of-roster types McLaughlin, Badie, and Cody Schrader for any sort of relevance as Denver nears its mandatory minicamp.

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