Payton Mentions Trio of Stud Saints RBs When Talking Jaleel McLaughlin
When last we heard, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was giving some modest praise to undrafted rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin, calling his NFL debut in Arizona "pretty good." Payton's remarks came on the heels of the Broncos' first preseason game, where McLaughlin found the end zone late in the fourth quarter, which gave the team a go-ahead score (though Denver would relinquish it).
On the last day of Broncos training camp open to the public, Payton seemed to up the ante on the McLaughlin topic, specifically putting him in the category of some former big-name New Orleans Saints running backs like Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, and current playmaker, Alvin Kamara.
“Historically, I’ve been fortunate to have been—people say [I] run a dual-back system," Payton said on Thursday. "I just think there’s a lot of attrition on a runner in our league. Over the years, we’ve had kind of a joker player in Bush and Sproles and Kamara. Those guys are running backs, and yet they do some other things in the passing game that gives them that tag. You could call it a ‘change-of-pace’ type player. Certainly, McLaughlin is one of those candidates, where he’s a different style runner."
It'll be interesting to see if McLaughlin parlayed his solid debut into more playing time in Saturday's second preseason game vs. the San Francisco 49ers. It's possible that McLaughlin could see less, with Payton confirming that Javonte Williams will play, plus the arrival of a former Saints back this week in Dwayne Washington. However, current No. 3 back on the depth chart — Tyler Badie — might not play in Game 2, with a minor injury.
"All of these guys that are healthy are going to play in this game," Payton said. "I think Javonte will be somewhere around 10 to 12 plays.”
NFL coaches play close attention to whether young players are able to "stack" good games atop each other in the preseason. No doubt, Payton will be monitoring McLaughlin's day at the office in San Fran.
“We talk about it twice a week. We update it with how they’re doing," Payton explained on the subject of evaluating young players in the summer. "You begin to formulate opinions. Someone asked me the other day, ‘Is it more game, or is it more practice?’ Honestly, I think it’s the whole body of work. When we were in school, we had quizzes and we had tests, and the game would be a test. If you messed around on a bunch of quizzes, like I used to, then the test was important because you didn’t do well on the quizzes. It’s all part of the equation.”
McLaughlin rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown on four carries, plus one reception for 12 yards, in preseason Game 1. Solid production considering he received just 10 snaps.
The next big test for McLaughlin arrives on Saturday in Santa Clara, CA. Stay tuned.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
