Should Broncos spend big in free agency on a running back?

Kiz: At the risk of irking Jim Brown or Emmitt Smith, conventional wisdom now states the best way for an NFL team to get in trouble is to overspend on a running back. Yes, running backs are a dime a dozen. And break easily. But I wouldn’t bet on Javonte Williams recovering from his knee injury to be anywhere near 100% when the Broncos open the season, and Denver needs to take a large chunk of the offensive burden off quarterback Russell Wilson. So what should the Broncos do at running back in free agency?

Gabriel: They’re going to have to do something, I think that much is safe to say. In fact, George Paton said it himself at the NFL Combine earlier this month. What that looks like, though, is indeed an interesting question. One natural fit is Latavius Murray, given that he was apparently texting Sean Payton about coming to Denver before Nathaniel Hackett was even fired. The free agent crop could have been absolutely loaded, but diluted predictably in the last week with Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all getting franchise tagged. But there are still a bunch of good options out there.

Kiz: Murray is a good dude, and he played good football for the Broncos. I’d like to see him back on the team, but probably not as the No. 1 back at age 33. With a shortage of draft picks and many other roster holes to fill, do the Broncos really want to rely on a rookie taken in the later rounds to carry the rock? I like Philadelphia’s Miles Sanders, who gained 1,347 yards from scrimmage for the NFC champs. But the bidding for Sanders probably starts at $7 million per year. Is he worth it?

Gabriel: Spend big? On a running back? The analytics folks are going to have a field day with you, Kiz. Denver’s already dropping big bucks on free-agent offensive linemen, including guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Maybe that alone will boost the production from the Broncos’ running back room. It’s an interesting year in the NFL Draft for running backs, too. Wonder if a guy like Tulane’s Tyjae Spears will be around in Day 3. Or perhaps Illinois’ Chase Brown.

Kiz: We all figured the Broncos were going to use a whole lot of salary cap space to patch up their offensive line. But what good is a big, bruising and expensive right tackle if there’s nobody of note to run the football behind him? So while it might be the smart play to shop in the bargain basement for a ballcarrier, what would be much more fun is if Denver found a way to trade for Derrick Henry and his $16.367 million salary-cap hit. Maybe I’m a crazy dreamer, but wouldn’t King Henry take the pressure off Wilson to regain elite status in order for Denver to make the playoffs in 2023?

Gabriel: No half-measures, Kiz. If you’re going to buck the analytics, don’t just do it part way. Matter of fact, had the Broncos not shipped San Francisco’s first-round pick to New Orleans in order to hire Sean Payton, I probably would have tried to mock draft Bijan Robinson to Denver with the No. 29 overall pick. Then we could have really stirred the pot by debating whether to spend big free agency dollars on a back or draft one in the first round. Alas.

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