Who Will Be Broncos’ Starting RB in 2025? Top Contenders For Denver Broncos

Now that the 2025 NFL Draft has concluded, each of the 32 teams in the league are hard at work trying to winnow their rosters down to 53 men by the time the summer wraps up, which got us at BetColorado.com thinking about who Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton will go with in 2025. With that in mind, we came up with some hypothetical odds on which running back will be atop the team’s depth chart in 2025, with second round pick R.J. Harvey of UCF leading the way right now.

Who Will Be the Broncos’ Starting Running Back in 2025?

Running Back	Odds	Percent Chance
R.J. Harvey	39.2%	+155
Jaleel McLaughlin	35.1%	+185
Audric Estime	10.0%	+900
Tyler Badie	1.2%	+8000
The Field	12.5%	+700

R.J. Harvey: Can the Rookie Steal the Starting Role?

The top contender to be Denver’s top running back in 2025 is the team’s second round pick, as Harvey looks like a bona fide stud out of the backfield after earning All-Big 12 and third team All-American honors in Orlando in 2024. The 24-year-old Orlando native racked up 3,792 yards on the ground and another 720 as a receiver with the Knights from 2020 through 2024, helping him climb NFL Draft boards and find a home along the Front Range in Payton’s offensive system.

Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin: Ready to Step Up?

Still, Harvey and his +155 odds of being RB1 in Denver this football season are only slightly ahead of third year Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin, who has an approximate value of eight in 33 games played with Denver in 2023 and 2024, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, rushing for 906 yards and two touchdowns in eight starts during that time frame.

McLaughlin finds himself slightly behind the rookie out of UCF, at +185, but ahead of two other candidates, in second year back Audric Estime out of Notre Dame (+900), who has 310 yards and two touchdowns with Denver as a fifth round pick in 2024, as well as Tyler Badie, who rounds out our RB1 odds board at +8000.

Entering OTAs and mini camps, it seems like the starting running back job in Denver is Harvey’s to lose, as the former UCF star is our go-to candidate to be Payton’s right-hand man out of the backfield this NFL season and boost the Broncos at Colorado sportsbooks.

USA Today photo by Vasha Hunt.

Denver Broncos Running Back FAQ

UCF rookie R.J. Harvey, a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is the early favorite. His 1,577 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in college, plus his pass-catching ability, align with Sean Payton’s vision for a versatile back. However, Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin are also in the mix.

Absolutely. Estime’s power-running style (672 yards as a rookie in 2024) suits a lead-back role, while McLaughlin’s speed and receiving skills (76 catches in two seasons) make him a Payton favorite. Their experience gives them an edge, but they’ll need to outshine Harvey in camp.

Yes, there’s buzz about adding a proven veteran. J.K. Dobbins, coming off a 1,200-yard season with the Chargers, could be a high-upside signing, though his injury history is a concern. Chris Evans is another name floated as a depth option with receiving chops.

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Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.