Jonah Coleman has changed the look of the Denver Broncos backfield in a hurry, and Ben Solak of ESPN believes the rookie might be the one to lift the offense out of its rut.
Solak said Coleman “is coming to save the Broncos offense.” He softened that a beat later by calling it a “little much,” but the point was clear enough: Coleman has given Denver something it has been missing.
On 19 carries, he has averaged 4.9 yards, while J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are sitting at 3.4 and 3.6, respectively.
The numbers from NFL Next Gen Stats make Coleman’s start look even better. He has produced 17 more rushing yards than expected, while Dobbins is at minus-77 and Harvey at minus-34. Coleman has also picked up four more first downs than expected, giving him seven on only 19 attempts.
That kind of production stands out because so much of the blame around the Broncos offense has been aimed at Bo Nix and the offensive line. Another advanced metric points in a different direction, though, with the Broncos running backs getting 1.2 yards per carry before contact, a figure that lands well above league average.
Solak was also blunt about Denver’s other backs, calling Dobbins and Harvey “incomplete players.” He pointed to Harvey’s value as a receiver in space and said Dobbins still hasn’t shown the “athletic pop” to make plays in tight spaces after the Lisfranc injury that ended his season down the stretch last year.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, the lack of a real running game left the Broncos with no margin for error. The offense kept stacking up three-and-outs to avoid turnovers, and Coleman at least brought a little burst and the ability to run through contact.
Solak said it never should have reached this point, but Sean Payton chose to trust Dobbins and his return. That trust has now shifted toward Coleman, mostly because the Broncos don’t have much of a choice.
That likely continues on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Denver. Solak noted that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is almost certain to bring pressure after what he has seen on tape over the last couple of weeks, and Coleman’s ability to squeeze out modest gains and keep the Broncos out of third-and-long could end up mattering a great deal.
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