Broncos announce that they have signed running back Dwayne Washington

The Denver Broncos have announced that they have signed veteran running back Dwayne Washington to their 90-man roster. To make room for him on the roster, the team has announced that they have waived defensive lineman Forrest Merrill with an injury designation.

Washington played the past five seasons with the New Orleans Saints and played four of those seasons under head coach Sean Payton. During his tenure with the Saints, Washington had 58 rushing attempts for 283 yards and 0 touchdowns while also catching four balls for 25 yards.

I believe this move has to do with running back Tyler Badie sitting out practice today. If he is unable to go against the 49ers, the Broncos running back depth would take a hit. So, Washington adds depth and gives them a back who can eat some carries for them late in the game and potentially during the preseason finale as well.

With Badie potentially out for this game, this opens up an opportunity for impressive-looking undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin to get an opportunity to impress coaches once again. Badie was the second back to come in last week behind starter Samaje Perine, so we could see McLaughlin move up and potentially surpass Tony Jones Jr. It will be interesting to watch, but McLaughlin will get a chance to impress and potentially find the end zone once again this week.

As for Washington, it’ll be interesting to see where he factors into the roster and running back discussion. He has been a key member of the Saints special teams for the past five years and spent four total seasons with Sean Payton. So, he could push fellow former Saints teammate Tony Jones Jr. for a spot on the roster if he impresses on special teams. As we know, that is an area Payton put an emphasis on and now has added a former core special teamer he had with the Saints.