Could Broncos shuffle their RB rotation? Here’s why HC Sean Payton likes RB Tyler Badie

Tyler Badie for the first time in his NFL career not only made a -man roster but had a real role on opening week The Broncos running back got the nod as Denver s third man behind J K Dobbins and ahead of Jaleel McLaughlin for the first Sunday of the season The rationale from head coach Sean Payton Clear He s a guy that can do a number of things well Payton declared Friday We think he can run well He s good in the blitz pickups He s good in the passing championship You know exactly what you re getting Badie s first outing of the fall wasn t particularly pretty though Badie played offensive snaps and didn t get a carry He was targeted six times in the passing battle and finished with two grabs for yards but also dropped a screen pass that might have gone for a touchdown Still Payton declared during camp I like coaching the participant and was similarly enthusiastic Friday Pass protection is not McLaughlin s strong suit nor is it a strength of Denver s group overall Badie however is proficient despite not being a big back The Ravens sixth-round pick out of Missouri proved certain playmaking ability for Denver last year in limited duty before a back injury cost him weeks He first staked his claim to the -man roster this season partially on his pass protection abilities then that skill set helped him crack the working gameday roster It s a tough decision because Jaleel is such a good sportsman offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi mentioned Thursday after McLaughlin was inactive for the first time in his three-year career The bulk of it was just third down and protection Badie is just a little stouter in there It s hard to not have Jaleel up there on gameday It was mostly protection The Broncos had a clearly defined set of roles for their trio in Week Harvey and Dobbins split the regular-down work Dobbins got the the bulk snaps compared to Harvey s and an outsized carry share with compared to Harvey s That balance tilted heavily down the stretch Harvey s final two touches were the -yard lightning bolt at the -minute mark of the fourth quarter and then a -yard run on the next snap After that Dobbins had the final seven running back carries of the battle the kind of closing-time grind-it-out role fit for a reliable veteran He had the big touchdown run there in the second half Runs hard Lombardi reported Really we ve got four guys we really like handing the ball to J K and RJ are obviously the two guys being featured and I thought they both really ran it well Badie in specific solutions had the most of clear-cut duty Of his offensive snaps all but one came on either third down or in Denver s two-minute work before the end of the half The lone exception A clear passing situation at second-and- Related Articles Broncos ILB Dre Greenlaw advancing at practice for first time in weeks but scratched for Colts matchup Broncos podcast Can Bo Nix Sean Payton bounce back vs Indy Dirtman and The Prototype Why Broncos Riley Moss is wired for the pressure as Pat Surtain s CB Broncos scouting review Predictions for Denver s matchup with Colts Daniel Jones Renck Broncos offensive improvement starts with Sean Payton And he knows it Lombardi commented that whether McLaughlin is up or inactive every week will be a conversation He mentioned specifically that McLaughlin had a terrific event carries for yards last year against Cincinnati a defense coordinated by Lou Anarumo who is now Indianapolis defensive coordinator If Payton s planning on mixing up the championship day trio however he certainly didn t sound like it Friday This week is a crucial week in the protections because of the amount of pressure looks we get Payton explained Friday There was quite a bit of time spent on third downs Not just third but second down they will give you specific exotic looks that you really have to be ready for Badie was someone coming on last year even as a runner There s invariably a value when you know exactly what you re getting from a performer and then you can implement him into those things he does well Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis