Report: Broncos Re-Sign RB Jaleel McLaughlin to Low-Level Deal

Here's the impact of McLaughlin's return.

Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (38) runs during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos on Friday re-signed free-agent running back Jaleel McLaughlin to a one-year contract, according to media reports.

Per The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson, McLaughlin's deal is worth $1.145 million and includes a $125,000 signing bonus.

Undrafted in 2023, McLaughlin is coming off his third season with the Broncos, notching 214 yards from scrimmage and one total touchdown across 41 touches (37 carries, four receptions). He was active for only eight games, buried on the depth chart behind JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and Tyler Badie.

McLaughlin earned a bigger role following the season-ending foot injury to Dobbins last November.

"It's not film, it’s all the other digging relative to football intelligence, make-up and adversity," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of McLaughlin in January. "Now, we didn’t draft Jaleel, but I heard the report on how he arrived at being a candidate to be in the NFL. Then the question was, is he good enough? That question has been answered. I think that requires a lot of digging. That’s the on-field scout, that’s the player visits, that’s the visit with, not the trainer, but the assistant trainer. You’ve got to do some digging on that now. You can see that sometimes in his play, but I think that requires a lot of scouting.”

McLaughlin, 25, is among several in-house free agents who've re-upped with the Broncos since the NFL's legal tampering window opened Monday. Among others, the team has also retained Dobbins, wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey, tight end Adam Trautman, and linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (38) smiles during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Impact of McLaughlin's Re-Signing

On its face, and similar to many other cases, this move doesn't change the Broncos' plans in the grand scheme of things -- whatever those may be. McLaughlin's deal is worth the minimum and easily allows the club to release him in the future with zero cap penalty.

As of now, McLaughlin returns to his usual role as a deep reserve behind the likes of Dobbins, Harvey, and Badie. But it's more likely than not that Denver addresses the position via next month's NFL Draft, for which they hold the No. 30 overall selection.

A report on Friday indicated the Broncos expressed interest in signing former Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, who opted to take his talents to the New Orleans Saints earlier this week. They conversely showed little interest in pursuing RBs Kenneth Walker and Tyler Allgeier, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

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