The Broncos’ overhaul at running back has left Jaleel McLaughlin looking like a clean fit somewhere else, and Dallas stands out as the most natural landing spot.
Denver’s backfield changed fast in the Sean Payton era, bouncing between weakness and something closer to a strength. It looked like it might finally become a real weapon in the 2025 NFL season, but J.K.
Dobbins’ tragic foot injury in Week 10 changed everything. Dobbins had been on pace for over 1,300 rushing yards and was one of the league’s most productive backs before the injury shut him down.
Once Dobbins was lost, the efficiency disappeared. RJ Harvey simply did not bring the steady rushing production needed to match what Dobbins had been giving Denver.
That shift helped push McLaughlin out the door. With Dobbins re-signed and the Broncos drafting Jonah Coleman, McLaughlin became expendable after spending years in the room.
Dallas looks like the obvious next stop. The Cowboys finished 7th in the NFL in points scored per game during the 2025 season and still won seven games despite fielding one of the league’s worst defenses. This offseason, they’ve worked to reshape that side of the ball, with Christian Parker, a former Broncos assistant under Vic Fangio, now serving as defensive coordinator.
There’s already a Broncos-to-Cowboys connection in the backfield too. Javonte Williams, another former Denver runner, put together a career year in 2025 and signed a three-year extension. Drafted by the Broncos in 2021, Williams never quite found his rhythm there, but in Dallas he ran for 1,201 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 4.8 yards per carry in 16 games.
McLaughlin and Williams were teammates in Denver in 2023 and 2024, which lined up with the two best seasons of McLaughlin’s career. As a rookie in 2023, he produced 570 scrimmage yards.
In 2024, he finished with 572. Over those two seasons, he scored six touchdowns and averaged 4.7 yards per touch.
What makes McLaughlin appealing for Dallas is the contrast he’d bring. The Cowboys currently have three running backs on the roster: Williams, Malik Davis, and Hunter Luepke.
Davis is 5'10, 205 pounds, and Luepke is 6-1 and 250 pounds. Neither one has the production McLaughlin has put up, and that would make him an easy fit as an RB2.
Williams gives Dallas a true workhorse, but there isn’t much behind him right now. McLaughlin would also add speed and big-play juice, giving the Cowboys the quickest player in the room and another skill set they don’t currently have.
Given how well Dallas already moved the ball in 2025, adding another weapon would make sense.
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