The Denver Broncos already have the kind of passing game that can light up a scoreboard. Bo Nix is the driver, and the receiver group gives him plenty to work with: Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant. The production has been strong, and the aerial attack has powered back-to-back playoff trips.
Still, being dangerous through the air is not the same thing as being complete. On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey made the case that Denver’s next step toward a championship depends on what happens on the ground.
The Broncos led the NFL in pass attempts last season, which says plenty about the confidence the coaching staff has in Nix and the talent around him. It also says something about the run game, which never gave the offense enough consistency to demand a bigger role. The pieces are there, but the results have been tied up in circumstance.
J.K. Dobbins is the most proven name in the backfield when he’s healthy, though health has followed him as the constant question mark.
R.J. Harvey has shown growth, but he still too often bounces runs to the outside instead of trusting what he sees.
Jonah Coleman has turned heads at training camp, but with no regular-season snaps, he remains more projection than proof.
Even with those caveats, Lammey sees real upside in the room.
“When you can run the ball effectively with J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman, that’s a hell of a trio at the running back position,” Lammey said.
For Lammey, the bigger point is what that kind of production does for the rest of the offense.
“You’ve got to have that emphasis, because of what it means for the rest of your offense,” Lammey said.
That’s where the argument gets sharper. The Broncos do not need to morph into a run-heavy team.
Their passing game is still the centerpiece. But when the run game is credible, it changes the whole picture.
Play-action hits harder. Defenses can’t sit on the pass.
And Nix gets cleaner chances to attack the matchups he’s built to exploit.
Lammey ended by putting a number on the balance he thinks Denver should chase.
“This team’s got to run the ball to set up this offense better. And if they do achieve that 55-45, only 45% rushing, 55% passing - it’s about the league average by the way. If they achieve that, it gives them the best chance at winning the Super Bowl,” Lammey said.
That split would not require a makeover. It would just ask the Broncos to tilt a little more toward balance, enough to make the run game a real factor without taking the ball out of the passing attack’s hands.
If Denver can get Dobbins on the field, turn Coleman’s camp buzz into regular-season impact and get more out of Harvey, the offense could become a lot harder to defend. And with the defense already in place, that kind of balance is the sort of thing that can carry a team deep in January.
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