The Broncos’ bye arrives at a useful moment for a rookie class that has already produced one clear difference-maker, one promising defender, and a few players still waiting for their first real chance.
Start with RJ Coleman, because he’s the easy headline. Denver’s third-round pick has gone from early-season curiosity to the team’s new RB1, and the jump happened fast.
He was active in five games, but his first NFL touch came in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he suffered an ankle injury. He still managed to return in that game and helped the Broncos score the go-ahead touchdown and run out the clock.
The injury was worse than it first appeared, which sent Coleman to injured reserve for four weeks. Once he came back, though, the backfield picture changed.
In Denver’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals, he handled nine carries for 54 yards and added two catches for 15 yards. Since then, he has stayed ahead of J.K.
Dobbins and RJ Harvey in snaps and touches, and that has held up week after week.
Coleman has 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries, plus 13 receptions for 128 yards. The Broncos’ decision to stand pat at the trade deadline, despite rumors about the running back market, says plenty about how the team views his rise.
With Dobbins and Harvey behind him - and Harvey due back from IR in Week 13 - Coleman is lined up for a major role the rest of the way. The only thing keeping him from an A+ at the bye is the four-week stay on IR.
On the defensive side, Sai Onyedim finally got his shot last week against the Carolina Panthers, and he made it count. Denver’s highest draft pick this year, the Round 3 selection had been a healthy scratch for two months before dressing for the first time. He played 10 snaps, recorded a tackle and a forced fumble, and graded as the Broncos’ top run defender of the day, according to Pro Football Focus.
That debut raised an obvious question: why did it take so long? The Broncos have struggled badly against the run, and Onyedim was one of the 2026 draft class’ top run-defending defensive tackles.
If Denver wants to make another deep playoff run, improving against the run has to happen quickly, and Onyedim looks capable of helping right away. For now, he gets a passing grade, with the expectation that there’s more coming.
The rest of the class is still in the waiting room.
Tyler Casey made the 53-man roster, but he has yet to dress for a game. The Broncos see him as the future at left guard, though Ben Powers is on the final year of his contract and Denver appears content to let the season play out.
Sean Payton did hint that changes up front could be coming over the bye, but a move away from Powers seems unlikely. Casey impressed in the preseason while working at both guard spots, and if the Broncos ever decide to turn to him, that would be a good sign for his future.
Still, this team has not loved playing rookies in the trenches, and if a change comes at left guard, Matt Peart would likely be next in line.
Tight end Jalen Bentley is in a similar spot. He has been a healthy scratch all season, buried behind Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, and Nate Adkins.
Even so, he looks closer to the field than Casey does. One injury ahead of him could force Denver’s hand, and the Broncos clearly like their seventh-round tight end out of Utah.
Bentley didn’t do much in the preseason beyond block, but he won a roster spot over fifth-round tight end Justin Joly, who was waived and claimed by the Miami Dolphins.
Then there’s Marcus Katsis, who may have delivered the most eye-opening debut of the bunch. He didn’t make the roster out of camp, but Denver kept him on the practice squad and elevated him in Week 3 when Marvin Mims Jr. was injured for a home game against the Los Angeles Rams. Katsis responded with three punt returns for 39 yards and four kickoff returns for 107 yards, finishing with 146 total return yards - the most by a returner making his debut in franchise history.
That kind of start is hard to ignore. The Broncos haven’t brought him up again since Mims has stayed healthy, though Mims is having a career-low year. Denver’s interest in Katsis after the draft, when they made him a priority free-agent signing, may also help explain why the team has not extended Mims.
Katsis has only one game on his résumé, so the sample is still tiny, but the record-setting debut earns him a C+.
Finally, there’s Austin, the undrafted Cal product who earned a practice-squad spot after camp and the preseason. Denver elevated him for Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he did not get on the field on defense or special teams.
The Broncos like his physicality and his nose for the ball, but of late they’ve leaned more toward first-year Sean Fresch Jr. because of his return ability. Austin is now trying to position himself for a futures contract after the season, which would give him another shot at making the roster next summer.
For now, though, he remains ungraded because he was elevated and never played.
In Other News...
Broncos Bye Week Review Shows Why This 7-2 Start Feels Different
A 7-2 start has given Denver plenty to sort through during the bye week, and the early-season review only reinforces how many different ways this team has found to win. The Broncos have built their place near the top of the AFC West on more than one signature moment, from Nik Bonittos strip sack against Carolina to JaQuan McMillians overtime interception against Seattle, with Bo Nixs 62-yard touchdown run against Arizona and Talanoa Hufangas two-interception game against the Rams also standing out.
JL Skinners goal-line stop against Kansas City belongs in that same conversation, a reminder that Denvers best stretches have come on defense and in high-leverage spots. The broader ranking captures why this start feels different, because the Broncos are not leaning on one breakout or one lucky bounce, but a string of defining plays that have kept stacking up as the season has moved along. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Just Raised A Bigger J.K. Dobbins Question
The Broncos spent the NFL trade deadline weighing their backfield options, and J.K. Dobbins ended up staying put after Denver received interest in him but never pulled the trigger on a deal. The teams search for help at running back went beyond one name, too, as Denver also looked into Tennessees Tony Pollard before the Titans declined to move him.
What makes that more interesting now is how the Broncos arrived at Dobbins as their primary runner in the first place. A potential move for Jonathan Taylor from the Colts fell apart, leaving Denver to keep Dobbins as the lead option and raising the bigger question of whether the front office sees him as a long-term fit or simply the best answer available at the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Bye Week Could Reshape The Line In Front Of Bo Nix
The Broncos are heading into their bye week with a familiar problem staring them in the face: the offensive line in front of Bo Nix has not been good enough. Sean Payton has acknowledged the issues after the game against the Chiefs, and the numbers around Denvers run game reflect it, with the team lagging near the bottom in conversion rate and yards per carry.
What makes the timing interesting is that the break gives Denver a chance to tinker before the next game, against the Raiders, and there is already outside buzz about a possible reshuffle up front. Columnist Troy Renck has pointed to Ben Powers, Alex Palczewski and Luke Wattenberg as names to watch, which suggests the Broncos may not just be looking for better blocking, but a different mix altogether. [Read more 🡒]