Broncos Training Camp Powered by Ford begins later this month, and we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Broncos’ roster.
We continue with the running back position, highlighted by the return of J.K. Dobbins and the addition of fourth-round draft selection Jonah Coleman.
How will competition develop as Denver aims for more consistency in the run game?
After being selected by the Broncos, it did not take long for fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman to recognize the level of talent in the running back room.
“You ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game,” Coleman said of joining J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey following the draft. “I believe that’s where it starts, in the trenches.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Head Coach Sean Payton, who has stressed throughout the offseason the importance of finding consistency in the run game ahead of the 2026 season. Through the first nine weeks of the 2025 season, the Broncos averaged over 130 rushing yards per game. Following Dobbins’ Week 10 injury, however, that level of production decreased.
Dobbins finished his first season in Denver with 772 yards (5.0 yards per carry) in 10 games, while Harvey totaled 12 total touchdowns and nearly 900 all-purpose yards as a rookie.
With Dobbins set to return and several other contributors eager to earn their role in the rotation, Payton said identifying “the strength of our unit” and then trying to build around that will be critical in 2026.
“We’re excited about where it’s going,” Payton said in June of the evolving run game. “Certainly, we understand how important it is, not only for the team but for our defensive success and time of possession and all of those things that play a complementary role in playing good defense.”
Coleman, Dobbins and Harvey are joined in the room by Jaleel McLaughlin — who has posted 1,093 rushing yards and three touchdowns during his first three seasons with the team — and Tyler Badie, who is entering his fifth season in Denver. Badie’s most productive single-game performance came in 2024, when he rushed nine times for 70 yards in a win over the Buccaneers. Cody Schrader, who joined the Broncos late in the 2025 season, will also compete at the position.
Though training camp will likely provide an opportunity to begin determining the backfield rotation, Payton acknowledged that the process will take time.
“I think it’s important to stack that position,” Payton said. “We drafted to a strength again. Obviously having J.K. back… there’s experience in that room. I think that’s one of those rooms, kind of like receiver, that in a very short period of time, has really improved.”
The Broncos added their first offensive player of the 2026 NFL Draft when they selected Coleman out of Washington in the fourth round. The 108th-overall pick was a two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection for the Huskies and rushed for 758 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry in 12 games in 2025.
During the 2024 season, he recorded a career-high 1,053 rushing yards and added 10 touchdowns.
Payton described Coleman as “very physical” and “smart” following the draft, and he said the Washington product flashed those traits during the offseason program.
“He had a good rookie camp,” Payton said in June. “He’s put together well.”
Coleman’s ability to play on third down, his fitness level and his ball security skills stood out to Payton during both the pre-draft process and while the rookie took his first reps in Denver.
“Ultimately in my heart, I felt like being a Bronco was the perfect place and the perfect situation for me,” Coleman said following the draft. “… I’m excited to get this thing rolling and be the player that they drafted and ultimately come in and add value.”
Harvey led all rookies in scrimmage touchdowns during the 2025 season, finding the end zone 12 times — the most of any Broncos player aside from quarterback Bo Nix.
In a Week 8 win over the Cowboys, Harvey became just the fifth Broncos rookie to record a three-touchdown day and the first Broncos rookie to record two rushing touchdowns in a game since 2018.
Harvey became even more involved in the Broncos’ offensive operation following Dobbins’ injury. Not only did his workload significantly increase, but five of his seven rushing touchdowns came during Denver’s final six games of the regular season. Harvey finished the 2025 season with 896 scrimmage yards, the second most on the team.
Payton, who said in June he thought Harvey “had a real good rookie year, especially in the passing game,” said he is encouraged by the progress he has seen from the dual-threat running back.
“He’s doing well,” Payton said following mandatory minicamp. “… We saw the early passing game traits. He just goes to work. He’s really smart. He’s instinctual. I think we’re pleased with how he’s progressing.”
The return of Dobbins should be significant for the Broncos, and the seventh-year veteran said remaining healthy and becoming stronger and faster will be top priority in 2026.
Dobbins got off to a quick start during his first season in Denver, rushing for 772 yards and four touchdowns in just 10 games. He ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards through Week 10, and he twice eclipsed the 100-yard mark, rushing for 101 yards against the Bengals and 111 yards against the Cowboys. Dobbins’ 77.2 rushing yards per game ranked sixth in the NFL among all players in 2025.
Dobbins will take the next step toward returning to game action during training camp.
“He was a big part of our success a year ago,” Payton said. “I think certainly where we’re at with that running back room today, we feel like is further along than maybe when we first got here. So, he’s one of those compound multipliers. There’s so much that he brings. … He’s a tremendous teammate and yes, I’m glad he’s with us.”
