The Broncos stayed mostly quiet at the NFL trade deadline, and that made sense for a team sitting in first place in the AFC West after a recent win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver was linked to Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor, but the Colts ultimately kept him in place with an eye toward revisiting trade talks in the offseason. The one move the Broncos were set to make - a deal that would have brought Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver - was not finalized in a stunning turn Wednesday night.
Even with all that movement and near-movement around them, the Broncos did draw interest on one offensive player: veteran running back J.K. Dobbins.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, teams “received some interest” in Dobbins. Fowler added that if Denver had landed Taylor, a Dobbins trade would have been much more likely.
For now, though, the Broncos couldn’t really afford to move him unless they had another running back coming back in the deal. That’s part of what makes the reported interest notable, even if it never got much closer than a call.
Dobbins has been productive when healthy, but injuries have followed him through his time with the Ravens, the Los Angeles Chargers and now Denver. Still, he remains the Broncos’ RB1, with rookie Jonah Coleman also helping keep the backfield afloat.
There was also another report that Denver checked in on Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard, though the one-win Titans chose not to move him despite his expiring contract.
Dobbins played 10 games in 2025 because of injuries, and this season he has 324 yards on 98 carries with three touchdowns in nine games. Coleman has chipped in 191 yards and three scores on 47 carries despite appearing in just five games, while RJ Harvey is dealing with a knee injury.
Coleman started over Dobbins in the Broncos’ last game against the Carolina Panthers and delivered 17 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. Dobbins had four carries for 18 yards.
Even with that rotation, Denver’s running back room is thin, which is why dealing Dobbins without another back coming in would have been a strange move. The Broncos have a Week 10 bye before facing the Las Vegas Raiders, so Sean Payton’s backfield plan after the break is worth watching.
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