Could the role of Jaleel McLaughlin be expanding?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —Jaleel McLaughlin needed to do one thing in order to make a bigger role for himself.

He needed to improve in pass protection.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi spelled that out in February. McLaughlin spent the offseason diving into it. But at 5-foot-7 and 187 pounds, success in pass protection has to come via a different path than for the Broncos’ other, bulkier backs.

“I do think he certainly understands his limitations relative to his frame,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “And then how do you take advantage of that?

“You know, you want to take on the block at the line of scrimmage, where the linemen are to your right and left. You know, the deeper you take it on, the more of a two-way go the rusher has. But if you can take it on early, you kind of have a fence working for you.”

So, there’s a path to Jaleel McLaughlin becoming at least a capable blocker — although being able to effectively be a brick wall is likely beyond his potential.

“You know, I don’t want to be in a game where he’s having to fit up four times on a linebacker rush,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “but he’s going to have to periodically.”

Specifically …

“We might be in two-minute offense and he’s got to handle the pickup, and so, there’ll be a number of times where he’s going to get a free release and he’s going to be out.”

And that’s where it gets interesting, because for many games last year, that two-minute role belonged to Samaje Perine. But the Broncos could save $3 million in cap space if they move on from Perine. And the form of fifth-round pick Audric Estimé as another power back behind Javonte Williams is encouraging.

Williams has enjoyed a terrific camp. But so has McLaughlin. His explosive runs began happening on a daily basis once the Broncos donned pads. Each day saw him rip off at least one notable run as he exploded through a crevice.

McLaughlin impressed last year — although not enough to get his surname spelled right for his preseason debut. But he’s reached a more consistent level this summer.

“I’ve just seen a growth, you know that,” Payton said. “Look, when you’re undrafted [you say], ‘I think I can play here.’ And then you have some success [and realize,] ‘Yeah, I can play here.’ And then, you know, in year two, it’s like, ‘Man, I expect to play well here.’

“You know, you can just feel that with him. Each day, there’s something we see. He made a catch over here earlier, and he’s really having a good camp.”

And the ability to stack days with explosive plays shows part of how he could handle the high-leverage role.

Javonte Williams appears to be the clear No. 1 running back. But Jaleel McLaughlin looks poised to have far more than the spot duty he saw for most of last year.

• The Broncos practiced without pads, but Payton opted to keep the day competitive, splitting the receivers, running backs, tight ends, linebackers and defensive backs over three separate areas of the fields for one-on-one work.
• Some of the highlights of one-on-one work included Adam Trautman making an over-the-shoulder catch of a pass from Bo Nix past Jonathon Cooper, Jarrett Stidham finding Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a fade route for a touchdown, a Damarri Mathis deflection of a pass from Stidham intended for Michael Bandy, Bandy executing a perfect route to gain separation from Levi Wallace for a touchdown, and a cut by Lucas Krull running a route that sent Ronnie Perkins flying, leading to a reception.
• It’s always good to see Tim Patrick get involved. He capped his day with a touchdown catch from Jarrett Stidham during the final team period, in which the Broncos offense got red-zone work.
• Ja’Quan McMillian’s solid camp continues, including a pressure on a blitz Thursday. “He caught us on a pressure today, disguised it well,” Payton said.

Tim Patrick had the highlight of the one-on-one period, catching a touchdown at Pat Surtain’s expense. Patrick shook Surtain in the end zone, breaking outside after cutting inside to get separation for a scoring catch in the back of the end zone.

“He’s a good look-off guy. He’s really good looking off (the safeties). Even in OTAs, I was just like, ‘Man, I cannot get a bead off of him.’” — Safety P.J. Locke, on Bo Nix

P.J. Locke can already tell that #Broncos QB Bo Nix is not like most rookie quarterbacks.

Why?

“He’s a good look-off guy. He’s really good looking off (the safeties). Even in OTAs, I was just like, ‘Man, I cannot get a bead off of him.’” pic.twitter.com/jRAAtt25bj

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 1, 2024

• Running back Blake Watson practiced for the first time this camp after starting the summer on the non-football injury list. He had a rough start to his work, as he dropped the first pass thrown his way during a seven-on-seven period. He also failed to corral a low pass from Nix later that period; it bounced off his hands.
• OL Nick Gargiulo worked out on a side field.

Friday, Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. MDT.