J.K. Dobbins is heading into the 2026 season with the Broncos as the clear RB1, but he’s also carrying a fresh piece of fuel into training camp.
Denver brought Dobbins back on a two-year deal after he flashed real value in 2025, even though that season ended early with a foot injury in Week 10. Before going down, he had piled up 772 rushing yards, which ranked fifth in the league at the time. For a player whose career has been interrupted by major injuries, that production was enough for the Broncos to keep betting on him.
Not everyone sees him that way, though. Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus recently slotted Dobbins all the way down at No. 28 in their ranking of all 32 starting running backs. PFF pointed to the same theme that has followed Dobbins for years: strong play when he’s on the field, then another injury cutting it short.
"The story of Dobbins’ career has been both unfortunate and consistent: Productive play stunted by injuries. That was the case again in 2025, when he averaged 5.0 yards per carry and ranked 18th among qualified running backs with an 80.8 PFF rushing grade.
However, he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 10, which severely hampered the Broncos’ run game from that point forward. Despite that, Denver handed Dobbins a fresh two-year contract, displaying its belief in his efficiency when healthy", wrote PFF.
The only backs ranked below him were Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings, Jacory Croskey-Merritt of the Washington Commanders, Chris Rodriguez of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks rookie Jadarian Price.
That kind of placement will almost certainly register in Denver as a shot at Dobbins, especially after the Broncos chose to bring him back instead of diving into the big-name running back market this offseason. But it also reflects the reality of his career: when he’s healthy, he produces, and when he’s not, teams are forced to plan around the absence.
Dobbins is still only 27, so there’s time for him to flip the narrative. He’ll have help behind him, too, with second-year back RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman set to share the load and keep him fresh.
If Denver can keep Dobbins off injured reserve this season, it would go a long way toward improving the Broncos’ chances of reaching Super Bowl LXI.
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