Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton suggested that improvement will have to come from within after the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. Broncos head coach Sean Payton agreed with those sentiments.
Payton also pointed to the ground attack as the area most concerning to him coming out of the contest. Losing rookie Audric Estime to injured reserve only compounds the issue.
Bleacher Report’s staff of NFL contributors have a cost-effective potential solution to fix it.
“The upside of the Broncos offense took a hit when they had to place rookie running back Audric Estime on injured reserve this week. The rookie back was placed on the short-term version of the reserve, which means he will be out at least four weeks. He offered power running between the tackles that Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin don’t,” the BR NFL Scouting Department wrote on September 16.
“Chris Rodriguez Jr. might be worth a look to take over that role. At 5’11” and 224 pounds, he has a similar thick frame and averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 51 carries with the Commanders last offseason.”
Entering the league as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, Rodriguez rushed for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns on 51 carries in 13 games for the Commanders as a rookie.
He missed the final two games of the campaign on injured reserve with an ankle issue.
Questions About Chris Rodriguez’s Ceiling Limited Draft Stock
Rodriguez was hopeful about making the 53-man roster but the Commanders cut him at the deadline.
But there are questions about Rodriguez’s ability to be a feature back at the NFL level.
“Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien wrote about Rodriguez ahead of the 2023 draft.
“He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.”
Zierlien projected Rodriguez to be a sixth-round selection just as he was. He could be worth the flier just to push the current Broncos backs.
“The concerning thing for me is the rushing game and then the rushing numbers defensively. Those have to switch or you’re just going to be playing behind the eight ball,” Payton told reporters via teleconference on September 16.
“There’s still no ways around it. We got to look right into the teeth of this and get better quickly.”
The Broncos rank 27th in team rushing yards following the conclusion of Monday Night Football. Nix is the team’s leading rusher with 60 yards and his 6.7 yards per rush is tops on the roster among players with more than two carries.
That lack of support from the backfield is putting additional stress on Nix’s ability as a passer where there were already questions.
He lived off the short passing game in college and opponents know it.
Sean Payton, Bo Nix Need Broncos Running Game to Open Up the Passing Attack
“The book was out on him during the predraft evaluation,” the BR NFL Staff wrote in an article originally published on September 12. “Right now, Nix’s inability to truly threaten defenses downfield is hindering the entire Broncos offense. Understandably, Payton is reticent for a rookie to take numerous shots. He wants to give him easy reads and throws to build confidence.
“The Broncos offense will continue to struggle until Payton trusts his quarterback and the rookie proves he can legitimately threaten opponents in the intermediate-to-deep ranges. Otherwise, defenses can pack everything within 10 yards.”
The Broncos could do Nix a favor in the passing game by shifting some of those carries to the backfield and setting up play-action.
They have the 24th-most attempts through two weeks.
Nix has been more efficient on non-play-action passes through two weeks. He has also only attempted them on 21.1% of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. But three of his four interceptions on the season have come on those same plays.
