Denver Broncos sign RB Jaleel McLaughlin

The Denver Broncos' signing of Jaleel McLaughlin on a one-year, $1.43M deal earns a C- Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a depth-piece commitment that offers modest upside without meaningful financial risk but limited ceiling for impact. At the $1.43M AAV—well below market for featured backs and fitting the prove-it range—this is a low-cost gamble on a reserve-caliber role player, the kind of signing that doesn't move the needle on cap flexibility or roster construction for a 14-3 AFC West division leader heading into the regular season. McLaughlin's value hinges entirely on opportunity scarcity and injury vulnerability elsewhere on the depth chart; without data on his current-season production or recent role, the transaction reads as a speculative depth add rather than an impact acquisition. For the Broncos, this represents organizational prudence—minimal salary commitment, no guaranteed money implications to model, and the flexibility to move on without penalty—but also signals they're not betting heavily on this player's sustained role in their playoff window. The CVI grade reflects that tension: safe but uninspiring, a transaction that neither improves nor imperils the roster but does the math correctly for a true backup or emergency option.