After a few days of wondering if they would or not, the Denver Broncos officially signed running back J.K. Dobbins to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
The move adds experience and depth to what was a young Broncos backfield and completely shakes things up with training camp about six weeks away. The Broncos will now see a spirited competition at the position.
Where will Dobbins fit in with this offense? What will his role be and how often will he be out on the field? That remains to be seen, but after giving him a deal that could pay up to $5.25 million, considerably more than Nick Chubb just got from the Texans, it seems the Broncos see a big role for him.
Broncos running back depth chart
| Player | Position on depth chart | Experience |
| RJ Harvey | 1 | Rookie |
| J.K. Dobbins | 2 | 5 years |
| Audric Estime | 3 | 1 year |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | 4 | 2 years |
| Tyler Badie | 5 | 3 years |
| Blake Watson | 6 | 1 year |
As you can see, the Broncos were quite inexperienced at the running back position. Though there are high hopes for second-round pick RJ Harvey, it was smart to back him up with a player who has plenty of NFL playing experience.
There may be some mixed feelings out there in regard to this signing. Some may say that the Broncos paid too much for a player with a significant injury history and NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger didn't seem to be a fan of the move before it happened, referring to Dobbins as a "rep stealer" who could hold back the development of Harvey.
Others, such as former All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant, thought it was a great move.
It's hard to say that the Broncos' running back room didn't get a lot better with this signing.
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