Sean Payton Justifies RB Tyler Badie's Role on Broncos Offense

One of the more interesting footnotes to come out of the Denver Broncos' season-opening victory last Sunday was the apparent emergence of running back Tyler Badie, who officially won the third-string job over Jaleel McLaughlin and saw extensive action against the Tennessee Titans.

None of this was an accident.

“He’s a guy that can do a number of things well," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday of Badie. "We think he can run well, he’s good in the pickups, he’s good in the passing game. You know exactly what you’re getting and sometimes, this week is a significant week in the protections because of the amount of pressure looks we get. There was quite a bit of time spent on third down, not just third, even second down. They will give you some exotic looks that you really have to be ready for. He was someone coming on last year, even as a runner. I think that there’s always a value when you know exactly what you’re getting from a player, and then you can implement him into those things that he does well.”

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A former Ravens sixth-round pick, Badie has been with the Broncos since 2022 but only started to gain some motion this offseason, despite the club acquiring RBs JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Thanks to his multi-faceted skill set, Badie forced Audric Estime and Blake Watson off the roster at final cuts and relegated McLaughlin to a healthy scratch in Week 1.

Badie logged 32 total snaps versus Tennessee -- 18 offensive, 14 on special teams -- finishing with two receptions for 16 yards. He failed to corral any of his four additional targets from quarterback Bo Nix, as their passing-game chemistry appeared to be a work in progress.

Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie (28) rushes the ball in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Assuming the status quo remains, Badie should again draw the RB3 nod when the Broncos face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. That is, getting on the field for obvious passing downs and either leaking out on a pass pattern or hanging in to help protect Nix.

Payton has committed to establishing the ground game, but the ground game is limited exclusively to Dobbins and Harvey.

“The moral of the story is always, I’ve had a lot of experience feeding two and that’s where the focus is. It’s hard to feed three," Payton said Friday.