RJ Harvey’s path in Denver looks a lot different now than it did when he was coming off a rookie season with 896 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns.
Bleacher Report recently labeled the second-year Broncos back the team’s “biggest bust” for 2026, and the reasoning is pretty straightforward: Denver added more bodies around him, and those additions all point to a reduced slice of the pie. The Broncos brought back veteran J.K. Dobbins and then used a fourth-round pick on Jonah Coleman, a move that could squeeze Harvey into a narrower role than the one he had as a rookie.
“As a rookie, RJ Harvey racked up 896 scrimmage yards and totaled 12 touchdowns. The Denver Broncos don't seem eager to feature him in an expanded role, though.
They re-signed J.K. Dobbins and selected Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of this year's draft,” BR analyst Moe Moton wrote on July 10.
Moton also pointed to Coleman’s receiving ability as a key reason Harvey could lose ground on passing downs. “Expect Dobbins to maintain an early-down role.
Harvey may share pass-catching opportunities with Coleman. According to The Denver Post's Luca Evans, Coleman was heavily involved in the passing game during the spring.
The Broncos beat reporter believes the rookie will "probably" see the field right away, which doesn't bode well for Harvey's second-year outlook. As a collegian, Coleman caught 87 passes for 838 yards and three touchdowns.
He's equipped to eat into Harvey's role on obvious passing downs.”
That concern isn’t coming out of nowhere. When Dobbins went down with a season-ending injury in 2025, Harvey didn’t exactly look built to carry the full load as RB1. He’s a useful receiver out of the backfield, but his game still reads more like a Darren Sproles-type weapon than a true three-down hammer.
None of that means Harvey disappears from the offense. It just means his job description may be shrinking, especially with Coleman in the mix.
If Dobbins misses time again, Harvey’s workload could grow in a hurry. But with Dobbins healthy and Coleman arriving, the Broncos’ plan seems to be pointing him toward the part of the game where he’s already most comfortable.
Sean Payton’s comments from June minicamp backed that up. “He’s doing well.
We saw the early… He had a real good catch," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of Harvey's participation in June's 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.”
That fits the way Denver tends to operate under Payton, too. The Broncos have leaned into multiple backs, and this setup looks like another committee. Dobbins should get the early-down work, Coleman can spell him, and Harvey may wind up handling the passing-game duties that fit him best.
Coleman seems to understand that dynamic already. After being drafted, he said: “Well obviously just playing my role and doing what I do.
The leadership that I bring to the locker room, the culture, how I can ultimately add to that culture that they have… Just being able to come in and be with guys like [RB] RJ Harvey, [RB] J.K. Dobbins and stuff like that.
You ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game. I believe that’s where it starts, in the trenches," Coleman said after being drafted.
For Harvey, the talent is still there. The question is how much of Denver’s backfield he’ll actually get to own.
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