Sean Payton’s RJ Harvey Comments Leave More Questions Than Answers

The Denver Broncos fielded a top-10 rushing attack when J.K. Dobbins was healthy last season. Following his Week 10 injury, though, the Broncos' rushing efficiency plummeted.

RJ Harvey, a rookie, was asked to carry the load as the Broncos' No. 1 running back from Week 11 on, and while he flashed at times, he lacked anything close to down-to-down consistency. It forced the Broncos to get creative at times, and the inefficiencies may have inadvertently led to quarterback Bo Nix being used more as a rusher, which ultimately backfired on the team badly when he got hurt in the playoffs.

The good news is that Dobbins is healthy, and he's been re-signed. The Broncos still have every confidence in Harvey, based on their public comments, but something head coach Sean Payton said at the NFL owners meetings this week may have contradicted that sentiment and put his second-year running back on notice.

"That could be a position that gets addressed if the opportunity presents itself," Payton said of the running back position. "We love the way RJ played. We ran it more consistently earlier in the year than we did later in the year. I don’t like how we rushed it in the postseason. It’s one way to take pressure off your quarterback, and I think that will be a focus.”

In one breath, Payton is saying how much he loves how Harvey played last year, while on the other, he criticized the Broncos' late-season and playoff production on the ground. Harvey was the tip of the spear at that point of the season, so it's a mixed message, to be sure.

As in all things NFL, follow what they do, not what they say. If the Broncos indeed draft a running back, especially in Round 2 or Round 4, we'll know that Payton truly is seeking upgrades, or at least, an alternative Dobbins insurance policy besides Harvey.

Harvey's Historic Rookie Impact

RJ Harvey rushes vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Now, all this being said, let's not forget the impact Harvey made as a rookie. He scored 12 total touchdowns, which was the third-highest total for a rookie in Broncos history, behind only Clinton Portis and Mike Anderson.

Harvey was especially impactful as a receiver out of the backfield. On third down and in the red zone, he was a weapon that forced defenses to play on their heels, and Payton and Nix exploited that.

Unacceptable Rushing Average

Harvey finished his rookie campaign with 540 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, which is solid for a young back who spent most of the season as the No. 2 guy on the depth chart. However, his 3.7 yards-per-carry average limited his impact, and was a contributing factor to Nix facing so many third-and-long situations.

Down the stretch, Harvey had under a 3.0 YPC average in three of the Broncos' last seven games sans Dobbins. In the season finale, he carried the ball 15 times but couldn't do better than 1.9 yards per tote.

Scheme & O-Line

Those issues persisted in the playoffs, but thankfully, Nix took over and rose above the situation against the Buffalo Bills before getting injured. It's not just a running back issue, though, as Payton has intimated in the past; the blocking concepts and the offensive line are complicit, too.

That puts the onus on new offensive coordinator Davis Webb and Broncos run-game coordinator Zach Strief to get with Payton and put their heads together to get to the bottom of these rushing woes. Dobbins will make life much easier on everyone and raise the ships around him, but how long he'll be able to stay on the field remains a question.

Harvey Will Get Better: But It'll Take Time

There's reason to believe that Harvey will continue to improve. He's only a second-year player, and that's certainly how Broncos GM George Paton views it.

“RJ is just going to keep getting better. What did he have, 12 touchdowns?" Paton said earlier this week. "He’s an explosive player and an explosive receiver out of the backfield. [He’s] a matchup problem. He is going to get better as a runner."

Harvey will be best used as that "Joker" weapon out of the backfield, who sometimes carries the ball, and sometimes catches it — but opponents never know how the Broncos will attack with him.

RB Has to Be a Priority

This is why, in order to hedge against the probability of another Dobbins injury, and to ensure that Harvey can stay in the specialized role in which he thrives, the Broncos have to prioritize adding a running back in the draft later this month.

There are some great options, but between Denver's second-round pick (No. 62 overall) and its next selection in Round 4 (No. 111), the running back field will diminish precipitously. Circle No. 62 as Denver's best bet at adding one of the better backs in the 2026 draft class.

Feasible options at No. 62 include Notre Dame's Jadarian Price (less likely), Arkansas' Mike Washington Jr., and Washington's Jonah Coleman. There are some later-round guys of intrigue, like Indiana's Kaelon Black and Toledo's Chip Trayanum, among others, but the surest bets will be found early Day 2.

The Broncos drafted Harvey last year at No. 60 overall, which minimizes the odds of them dipping into the running back pool again. But if the team chooses to draft one there, Harvey's selection last year should give some confidence that quality running backs can indeed be found in the late second round.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!