With a more potent running game, the Denver Broncos may have played in Super Bowl LX last season. Despite missing starting quarterback Bo Nix due to a broken ankle, the Broncos could have beaten the New England Patriots with Jarrett Stidham if they could have run the ball more effectively.
The Week 10 foot injury that ended up sidelining J.K. Dobbins for the remainder of the season ended up being a huge loss for the team, as they could not churn out yards with RJ Harvey consistently in the playoffs. This offseason, one of the Broncos' top focal points was bolstering their rushing attack.
It was presumed that the team would go big-game hunting on the free-agent market to bring in a name like Breece Hall, Travis Etienne or Kenneth Walker. But after
the New York Jets placed the franchise tag on Hall and both Etienne and Walker agreed to contracts with new teams, the Broncos brought Dobbins back on a new two-year deal.
The team followed that up by using a fourth-round draft pick on Washington's Jonah Coleman.
The Broncos feel that they have the rushing attack they need to contend this year, but those moves didn't do much to impress Pro Football Focus. PFF recently ranked every rushing attack in the NFL and put the Broncos all the way down at No. 24, with only eight teams below them.
Broncos come in near bottom of league's rushing rankings
"J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey return, with fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman snapping at their heels," wrote PFF. "Coleman has an extremely compact build at 5-foot-8, 220 pounds. Dobbins remains productive when healthy, but availability has long been his biggest concern. Depth option Tyler Badie posted the top PFF pass-blocking grade in the league among qualifying running backs last year."
The big questions facing the Broncos' rushing offense in 2026 center around Dobbins and Coleman. Can Dobbins stay healthy, and what can the team expect out of Coleman as a rookie? If Dobbins can play every week, they may not need much out of Coleman.
Harvey is likely going to be the change-of-pace back who can make plays in the passing game while Dobbins handles the majority of the work. The big key will be if Coleman can be effective in Dobbins' absence should another injury occur.
As for Badie, PFF's sentence on him gives you a good idea as to why he is ahead of Jaleel McLaughlin in the pecking order and could make the 53-man roster for that reason alone.
PFF ranks the Atlanta Falcons as having the best running game going into 2026, followed by the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: PFF ranks Broncos’ backfield 9th-worst in the NFL
