Film Room: Broncos RB RJ Harvey's Debut | Bouncing it Outside

RJ Harvey showed a heavy penchant for bouncing his carries outside. Should this be a concern? Let's study the film.

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (37) runs the football against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Martin (45) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos surprised many when they selected running back RJ Harvey with the 60th overall pick. There are high hopes for Harvey to bring some explosiveness to the Broncos' run game, but after one preseason game, some fans may have lowered their expectations for the rookie.

On the night, Harvey had seven total carries for 25 yards, which is a 3.6 average and not what you’re wanting from an explosive back. While two of his runs went for 18 yards, his other five combined for six, including one carry for a one-yard loss.

One of the biggest concerns with Harvey that came out of the game is that he bounced every run outside, even when the play was designed to stay between the tackles. This could be a serious issue for a running back, as sometimes success is taking what the defense gives you, but does the film back it up? 

All of Harvey’s first three runs were outside runs by design. He followed the blocking and did what he could, which included a seven-yard run on his second attempt. The speed was evident, but he couldn’t make the explosive play, which is a run of 10 or more yards. 

Let's examine the three examples.

Play 1

#Broncos RB RJ Harvey bouncing it outside pic.twitter.com/aFncWrw9iL

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 10, 2025

This is the first run where Harvey is designed to run between the tackles, but he bounced it outside. He is the lone back in 12 personnel with both tight ends off the left tackle. 

There is good push from the Broncos' offensive line, and they create a cutback lane to the left for Harvey to hit and explode. Tight ends Evan Engram and Adam Trautman are doubling a defender, who ends up beating the double-team attempt and altering the run design. 

Right about the three-second mark of the clip, a little bit before to be precise, you see Harvey plant and cut to his right. While it was necessary to make a cut and change the direction of the play, he chose the wrong way. 

There is an open defender to the left who can crash down and make the play, but the space available gives Harvey more room to make the defender miss. Also, had Harvey cut to the left, the defender who is beating the tight end double team would no longer be able to chase him down from behind. 

So, on the first designed run inside, Harvey saw the play getting blown up and changed direction to make something happen. That's what you want to see from a rookie running back, but this is a game he should watch over and over again because the direction he chose to cut was wrong. 

Despite that, Harvey still picked up 11 yards on the run.

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Play 2

#Broncos RB RJ Harvey cuts it inside after getting cut off on the edge pic.twitter.com/IUbkVAhBjb

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 10, 2025

The next run from Harvey is another designed run between the tackles that he bounces outside. Harvey is the lone back in a shotgun with 11 personnel, with the tight end and two receivers off the right side. 

Almost immediately, nearly the entire offensive line falters. Left guard Ben Powers loses his rep when left tackle Garett Bolles pulls off the double team. Center Luke Wattenberg climbs to the second level but misses downhill defenders. Even right guard Quinn Meinerz is losing his rep on the inside. 

By the time Harvey has the ball and is in a position to do something, he's looking at three defenders in his face. If he follows the designed run, he will likely lose yards as he encounters multiple defenders. 

Instead, Harvey plants and cuts it outside right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who was the only offensive lineman to win his rep on this play. That is also where Harvey had the numbers advantage with the tight end and two receivers, and they all crashed inside, leaving an open field for Harvey. 

However, as Harvey goes to cut around the corner, McGlinchey loses his block, leading to Harvey getting tackled despite trying to make a defender miss. So, the second designed run inside gets bounced outside, and deservedly so. 

The next run from Harvey was a designed off-tackle run, which is an outside attempt. The final carry we'll examine was the last one intended inside, which Harvey bounced outside. Let’s see if he was right or not. 

Play 3

#Broncos RJ Harvey shoots for the edge, gets nicked for a loss. pic.twitter.com/sb65JBTdDH

— Mile High Huddle (@MileHighHuddle) August 10, 2025

The Broncos are in 11 personnel with Bo Nix under center and Harvey the lone back. Trautman is the lone tight end set off the right tackle. 

While the offensive line gets solid push upfront, the blocking design left Trautman alone against a bigger edge defender, which puts the tight end at a significant disadvantage. As Harvey gets close to the line, Trautman gets walked by the defender to plug the little hole that was made. 

One could argue that Harvey needs to lower his shoulders and work his way forward instead of worrying about cutting outside, but you can't fault him for trusting his speed around the corner to avoid defenders and make something happen. 

In the end, Harvey gets caught as he evades the defender Trautman was blocking, and another defender comes downhill to make the play. It ends up being a loss of a yard. 

There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, as both avenues are justifiable. This may be a situation where you would prefer to go north and get what you can, but Harvey's approach, trusting his speed to make something happen, isn’t the wrong answer. 

The Takeaway

With seven carries, Harvey ended up taking all of them outside the tackles. Four of them were designed outside, with three inside that he bounced outside. Two of them were clearly justifiable, with one that can go either way. 

Is this a concern? Maybe, but many coaches prefer faster backs to bounce outside when things get muddy inside. They will rely on their speed to try to outrun defenders to the corner and pick up positive yards. 

With Harvey, one potential issue is the ball security questions he has. Fighting inside creates better opportunities for defenders to punch or rip the ball out of the pocket. So, with his speed and ball security concerns, he should be bouncing outside. 

That said, there must always be a balance to it. You can’t pass up on yards inside to always hunt the big play outside. This was Harvey's first game, and while the bouncing was justified, his decision-making should be the focus.