Jonah Coleman didn’t just score his first NFL touchdown Sunday. He showed he understands exactly what it means to wear a Broncos uniform.
After his fourth-quarter go-ahead run against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the rookie running back celebrated with the Mile High Salute, the signature move Terrell Davis made famous in the 1990s on the way to two Super Bowl titles, an NFL MVP award, and a 2,000-yard rushing season. Coleman’s salute wasn’t just a celebration. It was a nod to the standard that came before him.
"I mean, you've just got to pay respect to the guys that come before you," Coleman said post-game from the locker room, via Broncos social. "Terrell-me and him-we've talked before.
Talked a couple times. He's one of the best to ever do it.
And I just feel like I had to pay my dues and pay my respect because, at the end of the day, you're playing for something bigger than yourself."
That kind of awareness has become a theme early in Coleman’s NFL life. Broncos coach Sean Payton has already made it clear he doesn’t see a typical rookie when he watches Coleman, and that held up again in Week 2. The touchdown mattered, but so did the sequence that followed late in the game.
With 2:35 left, Jacksonville had burned its final timeout and Denver was trying to finish off the win with its four-minute offense. The Broncos were thin in the backfield, with J.K.
Dobbins injured in the game and RJ Harvey out before kickoff with a hamstring issue. Coleman got the call on 2nd-and-11, bounced outside to the left, and picked up 12 yards for the first down.
Then came the smart part. Instead of fighting for extra yards near the sideline and risking a stop to the clock, Coleman slid down to keep Denver in control. It was a savvy finish from a player who looked anything but overwhelmed.
“He played well. Then the very end, that last carry was… We work on four-minute [situations], but that certainly didn’t feel like a rookie series, if you will," Payton said post-game. "He came up big, and we needed it.”
Payton was just as direct on Monday when asked about the running back room. Dobbins’ hamstring injury was reported as "good," with no major injury, but Harvey had already missed his first NFL game. With the Los Angeles Rams coming to town for Sunday Night Football, Denver still has questions at running back.
Still, Payton made it clear he trusts the group he has.
"I think all three of those players we’re discussing can be bell cow [and] handle a majority of the carries," Payton said on Monday. "Yes, I think there’s a lot ahead of us this week relative to who our runners are going to be.”
Coleman finished with 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for 19 yards. And for a player who didn’t really start getting consistent carries until deep in the third quarter, that production stood out even more. He had already caught a few passes in the first half, then stepped into a bigger role once Dobbins exited and handled it well.
For the Broncos, that’s the part that matters most. Coleman’s first real spotlight came in his second NFL game, and he made it count with a touchdown, a respectful salute, and a closing drive that looked veteran-made.
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