Getty Sean Payton could start off his first season as the Broncos' head coach with a blockbuster acquisition.
The Denver Broncos are facing a bit of a shaky situation in their running back room heading into 2023 training camp with Javonte Williams coming off an ACL tear and Samaje Perine having spent most of his career as a No. 2 back.
Could the mistakes of one of their AFC West rivals net them a grand prize, though?
NFL analyst Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently examined some of the most notable running back names with uncertain futures and pitched a “curveball” of an idea for the Broncos, suggesting they could be players for 2022 NFL rushing leader Josh Jacobs if his situation with the Las Vegas Raiders does not improve in the coming weeks.
Jacobs notably held out of the Raiders’ entire offseason program, including mandatory minicamp, and is technically not under contract with the team because he has not yet signed the $10.1 million franchise tag that Las Vegas placed on him in early March.
“We doubt the Raiders would prefer to trade their franchise player inside the division, but Denver’s new coach, Sean Payton, gushed about Jacobs earlier this offseason, paid decent money for starting RBs in New Orleans, and could use downhill insurance as Javonte Williams returns from injury with newcomer Samaje Perine better suited for No. 2 duties,” Benjamin wrote. “Las Vegas could simply rescind the franchise tag if it knows Jacobs is committed to netting a bigger deal elsewhere, allowing the Raiders’ quasi-Patriots regime to save an instant $10M and revert to an RB-by-committee approach.”
Sean Payton Hinted at Jacobs Interest in February
The Broncos would be pulling off one of the most surprising moves of the offseason if they were actually able to pry away Jacobs from their rival Raiders. The 25-year-old rushed for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023 and would upgrade the Broncos’ backfield to one of the most fearsome in the league if he joined them, even though it would still take a number of dominos falling for it to become truly realistic.
One thing that supports the potential link between Jacobs and the Broncos, though? New head coach Sean Payton loves Jacobs and gushed about his “outstanding” 2022 season back in early February before the new league year opened on March 15.
“He was outstanding this year,” Payton said during a pre-Super Bowl appearance on ‘Up & Adams’ on FanDuel TV in February. “A downhill, physical runner. For a team that wasn’t necessarily always having success, he was always consistently playing well. I’m glad he’s a free agent. I encourage everyone to look at him, get him out of the West.
“Maybe we look at him.”
Now, Payton might just be talking up a talented player whom he genuinely respects — and this was said before the team signed Perine — but it is at least worth noting that the Broncos ‘new head coach is a big fan of what Jacobs brings to the table as a rusher.
Dalvin Cook Could Still Offer Better Option for 2023
GettyDalvin Cook could also still be in play for the Broncos.
Jacobs would undoubtedly supercharge the Broncos’ backfield behind Russell Wilson for the 2023 season, but it would take a strange turn of events for the Raiders to rescind the franchise tag they placed on him given how valuable he was to their team in 2022. More realistic, perhaps, is the newly available Dalvin Cook, who was released from the Minnesota Vikings on June 9 and could fit right in with the Broncos’ murky rotation.
According to Outkick’s Armando Salguero, Cook had identified two ideal landing spots — the Buffalo Bills or the Miami Dolphins — prior to the Vikings’ decision to release him. With the Dolphins, Cook would have an opportunity to return home to Miami and play for a burgeoning AFC contender, whereas the Bills could offer him a chance to play with his brother, fellow running back James Cook, on a full-fledged AFC contender.
None of that, however, should stop the Broncos from entering the running to land him. Cook has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of his last four seasons and earned Pro Bowl recognition in each campaign, reaching his career peak in 2020 when he rushed for 1,557 yards, caught 44 passes and scored 17 total touchdowns. Even if they feel good about Williams’ recovery timeline, pairing him with Cook would give them a stout three-back rotation to fuel their rushing offense.
The Broncos don’t have a ton of cap space — about $8.8 million, per Over the Cap — remaining for the 2023 season, but there are cuts they could make to create more room for Cook and what would presumably be a multi-year deal for him.
