Entering Sunday’s game, the Broncos were already down second-year running back RJ Harvey, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. This meant rookie running back Jonah Coleman would see an elevated role on offense vs. the Jaguars. He was still behind veteran starter JK Dobbins, who took the majority of the snaps early on, but he too suffered a hamstring injury and would be sidelined for the remainder of the game.
This gave rookie running back Jonah Coleman an opportunity to shine in a big moment, and
he did not disappoint.
He would enter the game late in the 4th quarter while the Broncos were leading, with a chance to ice the game and kill the clock. This has been a scenario that the Broncos have struggled with and have typically gone three-and-out and had to send their defense back out to close the game. Well, Coleman called game and had multiple big runs for first downs and would smartly slide down inbounds to avoid stopping the clock. Not only did he look like a veteran player out there, but he also looked like a future starter.
After the game, head coach Sean Payton told reporters that Coleman played well and that the rookie back did not feel like a rookie out there on Sunday.
“He played well. Then the very end, that last carry was… We work on four-minute [situations], but that certainly didn’t feel like a rookie series, if you will. He came up big, and we needed it. You carry three [running backs] on gameday like everyone else. We were down to two and the fullback. Those guys did a good job, and then we found a couple schemes that we liked and stayed with it. His play right at the end, staying in bounds, that was something you cover, but maybe he doesn’t get those same reps in practice. He did a good job.”
Payton said Coleman came up big, and he did. He closed that game out for the Broncos, made the Jaguars waste their timeouts, and did not allow Trevor Lawrence and the explosive Jaguars offense to take the field again. That is huge and something the team has struggled to do in the past.
Quarterback Bo Nix also praised Coleman’s late-game IQ and told reporters that Coleman does a really good job of paying attention and that he’s really smart and that he has great football IQ.
“Jonah played very smart for a young kid, especially at the end there for a minute when everybody knows we’re running the football. He has to protect the football, run in bounds, a lot of things are going through his head while he’s trying to run the ball well. So he did that extremely well, very efficient and then obviously capped it off with the run down the sideline where he slid in bounds and that’s just really good for a young guy. You can tell he does a really good job of paying attention and he’s really smart and he’s got a great football IQ.”
A big part of football is trust. Can you trust a player in a big moment to come up with a big play? Nix trusts Courtland Sutton in big moments, and Payton has the players on the roster that he trusts to fill the needed roles on the 53-man roster. A performance like this in a big game and in a key late-game situation likely earned rookie Jonah Coleman some trust from Payton and Nix moving forward.
So, with Dobbins and Harvey currently banged up, has Coleman earned the right to be the Broncos’ starting running back? I think as long as Dobbins is healthy, he will be the guy, but Coleman is making a strong case for that job. I don’t think Harvey’s role is in danger, but Coleman is putting everyone on the hot seat, and the reality is, it’s only a matter of time before he takes it.
He looked effective in short yardage against a good run defense and scored his first career touchdown; he picked up key first downs, bounced one run outside, and looked explosive in the open field. I want to see more Jonah Coleman moving forward, and I believe a real discussion needs to be had about him becoming the Denver Broncos’ starting running back sooner rather than later.
