Jonah Coleman may have changed the Broncos’ backfield conversation all by himself in Week 2.
Denver opened the season with a pretty clear plan at running back: JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey at the top, with rookie Jonah Coleman and veteran Tyler Badie filling in as needed. That setup got shaken when Harvey sat out the Jaguars game with a hamstring injury, pushing Coleman into the No. 2 role behind Dobbins.
Then Dobbins picked up a hamstring issue of his own in the fourth quarter, and Coleman got his chance to take over. He made it count.
Coleman finished with 39 rushing yards on 10 carries, scored his first career touchdown, and added three catches for 19 yards. He did his best work when the Broncos needed to drain the clock, helping close out the game with a 6-yard run and two 12-yard gains. One of those runs was especially impressive: he bounced the play outside, showed off his burst and vision, picked up the first down, and then had the awareness to slide and keep the clock moving.
That sequence effectively put the game away.
The rookie also gave Denver a boost earlier with his red zone touchdown, the kind of finish the offense badly needed. After a second half of 2025 that offered almost nothing on the ground, Coleman’s fourth-quarter workload looked like something the Broncos have been waiting on for a long time: a back who can help them play with force and control the line of scrimmage.
And Coleman didn’t just run the ball well. The source material points to his pass protection as a strength in the fourth quarter, along with his natural hands as a receiver out of the backfield. In other words, he showed more of a complete three-down profile than anyone has for Denver in a while.
That doesn’t mean Dobbins and Harvey are suddenly out of the picture. But Coleman may have done enough against Jacksonville to earn a bigger look, maybe even a hot-hand approach when the Broncos face the Rams in Week 3.
If Dobbins’ hamstring keeps him from missing time, that helps keep the rotation intact. If not, Denver at least knows it has another back it can trust.
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J.K. Dobbins left the Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a hamstring injury, but the early signs are encouraging for Denvers backfield. Dobbins is reportedly good to play against the Los Angeles Rams, and that gives Sean Payton another option in a running back group that has already been asked to share the workload.
Payton said multiple backs, including Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman, are capable of handling a majority of the carries, which leaves the Broncos with more depth than certainty. Coleman made his presence felt in Week 2 by tying for the team lead in carries and scoring his first career touchdown, so Denver heads into the Rams matchup with a backfield that suddenly has more production than hierarchy. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Just Got An AFC West Opening They Couldn't Ignore
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Jim Harbaughs team now has a tougher road ahead, with a challenging run of games looming that could make climbing back in the AFC West even harder. For Denver, the timing is hard to ignore - the Broncos have already picked up an important win while one of their biggest divisional rivals is suddenly staring at a stretch that could shape the standings before the season is very old. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Finally Addressed Why He Often Looks Uncomfortable Sideline
Sean Paytons sideline posture has become part of the Broncos weekly scenery, with the coach often crouching through games as he manages a back issue that has lingered for years. The problem stems from an L4/L5 disc injury dating back to 2013, when it happened during CrossFit training, and Payton has said he does not need surgery. For Denver, it is one more reminder that the man steering the offense is dealing with the kind of wear and tear most fans never see from the stands.
The issue matters beyond how uncomfortable Payton may look on Sundays, because the Broncos have also had to navigate communication problems in loud game situations. Crowd noise can make it harder for the sideline and the field to stay on the same page, which adds another layer to the coachs already awkward-looking routine. For a team trying to clean up execution, even the coachs physical limitations can end up being part of the story. [Read more 🡒]