With their 108th overall selection in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Washington running back Jonah Coleman.
Coleman is a 5-8, 220+ pound running back who will give the Broncos a powerful bowling-ball ball carrier who profiles as a three-down back and has a nose for the end zone. The Broncos selected him to add depth and insurance behind veteran running back JK Dobbins, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career. We saw the Broncos’ run game take a nosedive
after Dobbins suffered a season-ending foot injury midseason, so a back like Coleman will help prevent that from happening again this upcoming season.
Many viewed Coleman as one of the top backs in the draft, and the Broncos getting him in the fourth round could prove to be a major steal for them. He played a total of two seasons at Washington and was one of the more productive backs in the Nation during that time. During Coleman’s two seasons at Washington, he appeared in 25 games and totaled 349 carries for 1,811 yards, 25 rushing touchdowns, and 54 receptions for 531 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Jonah Coleman as his RB6 and believes he is an inside runner with value on passing downs as a runner, pass catcher, and as a blocker.
With his stout, strong build, Coleman runs with square shoulders, toughness and vision to operate between the tackles. He has a noticeable lack of burst in open space but possesses the lateral quickness as a jump-cut runner to change lanes at the line of scrimmage. Coleman isn’t overly explosive and his lack of juice is a concern, but he is an instinctive, competitive ball carrier who can absorb and bounce off tacklers. He is an inside runner with value on passing downs, both as a receiver and blocker.
Coleman proved to be a three-down back who could handle a lot of carries, convert short-yardage, be a touchdown machine, and be valuable on third downs as a pass-catcher and blocker. He is exactly the type of running back the Broncos needed to add.
He will join veteran JK Dobbins and second-year running back RJ Harvey in the Broncos’ backfield to give them one of the more talented and productive running back rooms in the NFL. Before his injury, Dobbins was one of the top backs in the NFL, and RJ Harvey had nearly 1,000 total yards and 12 total touchdowns during his rookie season. If those two can repeat, or even improve on their totals, with Coleman added in, the Broncos could have a dangerous rushing attack.
Player Profile
Jonah Coleman | Running back | Denver Broncos
- Height: 5-8
- Weight: 220 pounds
- Age: 22 years old
- Experience: Rookie
- Hand Size: 9 1/8 inches
- Bench Press: 22 reps
- 2025 stats: 156 carries for 758 yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, and 31 receptions for 354 yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns.
Broncos RB Jonah Coleman’s 2026 outlook
For right now, he is likely the Broncos RB3 who could get some playing time on third downs and in the red zone. However, his role could grow throughout the year and even as early as this summer if he has a strong training camp and preseason.
Either way, Coleman will have a role and be a productive member of this Denver Broncos rushing attack.
His quickest way to playing time will come on third downs. If you can block for quarterback Bo Nix on passing downs while also being a weapon out of the backfield, you will earn playing time. Last season, Tyler Badie earned Nix’s trust on third downs, last season and I believe Coleman will quickly earn his trust this season.
After being drafted, Coleman told reporters, “Now I get to go protect Bo Nix,” and said he takes pride in that aspect of his game.
“It’s really important. Now I get to go protect [QB] Bo Nix, and I take pride in that. I may not have all the exciting plays and all of that, but I do the dirty work. I do those things that not a lot of people pay attention to. Just being able to be well rounded. When I was a freshman, [former Arizona assistant coach/running backs] Coach [Scottie] Graham said, ‘The only way you’re going to get on this field is if you’re able to pick up blitzes.’ Just being able to be well rounded and not have to come off the field on third downs is what I bring. So just being able to be well rounded is something I take pride in. I can catch the ball, obviously pass pro is the big thing in my game and running the ball is what I do.”
Coleman is also a powerful back between the tackles, has a low center of gravity with great contact balance, and should be a weapon in the red zone for the Broncos. I would anticipate him getting some goal-line/short-yardage work early on in his career, and he could become a mainstay in those roles if he excels at them as he did in college.
Now, if Dobbins were to suffer an injury and be sidelined for multiple weeks, Coleman provides them with insurance and someone who can handle a lead-back workload. They did not have that last season, and it hindered them in the second half of the season and throughout the playoffs. So, if something were to happen to Dobbins, believe Coleman would become the Broncos RB1 with Harvey staying in the 1B role.
Final Thoughts
I was pretty hyped about this selection, and I believe Jonah Coleman will be a productive member of this Denver Broncos offense this upcoming season. The trio of Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman should give the Broncos one of the better backfields in the NFL, and I believe Coleman will carve out a key role in the rotation early on.
I believe he will take over Tyler Badie’s third-down role fairly quickly while also spelling JK Dobbins at times to lower his workload and hopefully keep him healthy throughout the season. I also see him getting plenty of looks in short-yardage and inside the red zone. He might be the Broncos’ best power back on the roster, and I believe he can be a weapon for them in those areas.
Heading into the draft, I thought Coleman was the perfect back for the Broncos. While a flashy back like Mike Washington Jr. would have been fun, Coleman is what they needed. A three-down power back who can block, catch the ball, and provide insurance/depth behind JK Dobbins. The Broncos agreed, and I am excited to see what he can do moving forward.
