The Jonah Coleman takeover is happening!
The Broncos ‘ fourth-round rookie running back was activated off the injured reserve ahead of today’s game vs. the Cardinals and quickly became an impact player for the offense. He led the Broncos’ ball carriers in rushing with 9 carries for 54 yards while averaging an impressive 6.0 yards per carry. Coleman displayed good vision, had plus short-area burst, ran with power, and looked like the Broncos’ best running back by far.
After the game, Denver Broncos
head coach Sean Payton told reporters that they “got to get him (Coleman) more touches. Definitely”.
Coleman had 11 total touches for 69 yards and led the Broncos backfield in touches, snaps, and routes, and could be in store for a larger workload moving forward, according to Payton. The talk after the game is about how Coleman should be the Broncos’ starting back, but it seems like that change already happened today.
It was only a matter of time. Dobbins was impressive last year before his injury, but he seems to have lost a step and is posting career-worst numbers across the board. He has scored a touchdown in three straight games and should have a role on this offense moving forward, but this should be Jonah Coleman’s backfield now and moving forward.
If the Broncos can get this sort of production from Coleman moving forward, it will be a huge boost to their offense. They had little to no run game this season, and defenses have not been respecting their run game. Coleman producing like this changes that and makes life easier for quarterback Bo Nix, who showed off his running ability today with a 60+ yard untouched touchdown run.
If the Broncos want to win a Super Bowl, they NEED a run game. Coleman provides that, while second-year back RJ Harvey can be a playmaker in the pass game while offering some speed/juice on occasion as a runner. This also should quiet the talk about trading for a back like Jonathan Taylor, but still, that could be viewed as a big “win now” move by the Broncos, and we’ll see how that progresses in the coming days/weeks.
At the end of the day, it appears that Jonah Coleman has taken over the Broncos’ backfield and could see a larger workload moving forward. The fourth-round rookie has flashed his talent ever since he was drafted and he’s on the verge of being a second-half breakout player for the Broncos.
