Denver

Broncos

The state reportedly purchased Burnham Yard, a former rail yard, four years ago for $50 million. The Broncos are also “exploring other areas, including a 36-acre Denver Water campus located close to Burnham Yard.” Properties in Lone Tree and Aurora are also reportedly up for consideration.

This is seemingly a continuation of Legwold’s Wednesday report, where he indicated the recently signed J.K. Dobbins will “get a long look in [the Broncos’] third-down role” and quoted head coach Sean Payton complimenting Dobbins’ rushing ability. Still, this is quite the decline in projection for Harvey, who Payton assessed as having three-down potential in mid-May. Things are not yet set in stone, but Harvey may have to seriously compete for a PPR-friendly role in training camp and preseason play.

The Broncos’ mandatory minicamp has officially wrapped up, with no sign of Vele. Per Athlon Sports’ Douglas Santo, “Payton did say some players would not be attending minicamp for personal reasons.” Payton did not disclose the reason for Vele’s absence. Hopefully, this is not injury-related, and Vele is away somewhere, honing his craft. Santo adds, “reports from media who attended the Broncos’ OTAs were that Vele added muscle this offseason and his route running had been more pristine.”

It would be a massive blow to rookie RB RJ Harvey’s fantasy prospects. Harvey has worked extensively as a pass catcher in offseason practices and Broncos coaches — including Sean Payton — have talked up Harvey as a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield. Legwold said Dobbins, who on Tuesday signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with Denver, could replace Javonte Williams — now with the Cowboys — as the Broncos’ primary third-down back. Dobbins caught 32 passes for 153 scoreless yards with the Chargers in 2024. He ranked 53rd out of 58 qualifying running backs in yards per route run. While Dobbins (when healthy) certainly represents a hurdle for Harvey, the rookie could overtake the veteran with explosive playmaking out of the Broncos backfield this summer.

He can reach “up to” $5.25 million with incentives. The rarely-used UFA tender will make this signing count for Los Angeles’ compensatory pick formula this offseason. Dobbins has always been super-efficient, with a career 5.2 yards per rushing attempt — his problem is that he’s yet to play a full 16- or 17-game season in five years in the league. He probably slots in as the less-desirable back between himself and RJ Harvey for fantasy purposes, but the veteran Dobbins should get plenty of run early in the season and probably finds himself in the RB3/RB4 conversation. We’d say this signing pretty much closes the book on Audric Estime, but Dobbins has been so oft-injured that the door is probably still cracked a little. There’s still little reason to draft Estime in re-draft leagues until we see Dobbins injury updates.

Franklin has generated a number of explosive plays thus far, leading Payton to celebrate Franklin’s ability to run after the catch. The report comes from The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, who adds that Franklin “has looked impressive” through two organized team activities and is “playing faster than he was at this time last year.” Franklin must sustain high-quality play over the next three months in order for these comments to matter. A big offseason could vault Franklin ahead in the pecking order behind Courtland Sutton, but Denver doesn’t seem likely to rely on any of their non-Sutton receivers in a fantasy-interesting way this year.

“He’s a back that requires enough touches. He’s going to get those opportunities,” Payton continued. RJ Harvey is obviously going to be the main back for the Broncos for fantasy purposes this season, but it’s possible that Estime could carve out a bigger role in Year 2 ahead of other incumbent backs like Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. Payton does love a good running back platoon. Estime should be drafted as the No. 2 back in Denver’s backfield for now, and if the Broncos offense ascends in 2025, he could potentially find himself as a fantasy RB3 as Harvey’s 1B.

The other was defensive end John Franklin-Myers, who is in the last year of his current contract. Franklin-Myers, who has made it clear that he wants a contract extension, has been training on his own. The 28-year-old Franklin-Myers set a career high with 7 sacks last season. The Broncos expect him to be on hand at mandatory minicamp, which begins June 10. As for Surtain II, the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he has been at the Broncos complex at times during the offseason. The OTA sessions are voluntary.

In Denver OTAs, Harvey — a second round selection in the 2025 draft — “has been given ample work in the passing game as he prepares for the kind of multifaceted responsibilities required of running backs in [Sean] Payton’s offense,” Kosmider said. “The early returns have been promising, with the obvious caveat that he hasn’t yet put on pads and been asked to stonewall a blitzing linebacker.” Bo Nix, who checked down frequently during his time at Oregon and in his rookie season with Denver, said Harvey has impressed as a pass catcher out of the backfield. “You know he can run the ball,” Nix said, “but I think it’s the other things that he’s (already) showing. Just the routes, (his) suddenness and quickness in his hands.” Broncos running backs combined for a 22 percent target share in 2024, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Harvey is shaping up as a potential stud in PPR formats.