The Broncos’ Week 8 win over the Chiefs may have done more than keep Denver rolling in the standings. It may have also marked the point where J.K. Dobbins slipped out of the picture.
Denver didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard early. The Broncos managed just 3 points in the first half, then piled up 15 in the second half, with every one of those points coming in the fourth quarter after Kansas City had built an 11-point cushion. The comeback had the kind of late-game surge that can flip a game in a hurry, and Jonah Coleman was right in the middle of it.
Coleman turned in a big night, finishing with 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. One of his biggest plays came on a long fourth-quarter reception that helped set up the eventual game-winning score. On a night when Denver needed someone to grab the offense and drag it forward, Coleman did exactly that.
Dobbins, meanwhile, barely made a dent.
The snap count told the story in blunt terms: Coleman played 41 snaps, while Dobbins got just 13. Cody Schrader was on the field for 2.
After Dobbins took an 8-yard loss early in the second quarter, he was used only four more times the rest of the game. In the second half, he played just one snap.
As Andrew Mason noted, the Broncos’ running back split in the win looked like this:
Jonah Coleman: 41
J.K. Dobbins: 13
Cody Schrader: 2
That usage was so lopsided that Hayden Winks summed it up in one line: “J.K. Dobbins played one (1) snap in the 2nd half.”
If RJ Harvey had been healthy, Dobbins may have seen even less work.
The timing only adds to the noise around Denver’s backfield. Shortly after the game, Zac Stevens sounded confident the Broncos are pushing hard to land Jonathan Taylor from the Colts in a trade. The message circulating afterward was clear: “The Broncos want Jonathan Taylor, per @ZacStevens 🗣️”
“I believe the Broncos are going to do everything in their power to trade for Jonathan Taylor. This could happen at any moment. You might not want to go to sleep Broncos Country.”
“The Broncos are going to try to pull this…”
Put all of that together, and it’s fair to ask whether Dobbins has already played his last meaningful snaps in Denver. He’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season. He has appeared in every game, which is something, but the production hasn’t come close to matching what he gave the Broncos last year.
At this point, the issue isn’t just volume. It’s usefulness.
Dobbins hasn’t been much of a pass catcher, doesn’t pass protect better than Harvey or Coleman, and hasn’t been effective enough as a runner to justify the touches. That’s a steep drop for a back who was one of the most efficient runners in football in 2025.
Whether he’s dealing with something physical or simply hit a wall, the Broncos don’t seem to have much reason to keep forcing it. Denver is 6-2, in strong position to chase the AFC West and still in the mix for the top seed in the AFC for a second straight year. With Harvey and Tyle Badie on IR, adding another back would make sense, especially if the team already views Dobbins as unplayable.
For now, the Week 8 win stands as a big one for Denver. It may also be the night the Broncos quietly moved on from J.K. Dobbins.
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