The Denver Broncos badly need a big running back, but newly-drafted Jonah Coleman comes with serious knee issues.
The NFL draft is amped up and promoted to provide maximum excitement, but sometimes what we learn after the draft ends up being far more important.
That definitely applies to the Denver Broncos and Jonah Coleman given that a report from Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors.com that new Denver running back Jonah Coleman had some knee issues that led to him falling to the fourth round.
This news requires a bit of backtracking. Three running backs were selected in the first three rounds, with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both going in the first, with Kaelon Black being selected in the second.
According to Robinson, Coleman “may well have joined Black as a Day 2 draftee had he been healthy throughout the 2025 season, but a knee injury limited the compact Washington prospect last year.” Robinson also cited Albert Breer of MMQB as a source, as Breer noted that Coleman’s knee issue was a “major” factor in Coleman falling to the fourth round.
From the Broncos perspective, there are two ways to interpret this. If you’re a glass half-full type, your take is probably something along the lines of Denver landing a major find by taking advantage of Coleman’s slide.
For those with a more negative slant, it’s fair to wonder why the Broncos would take a back who could be a knee injury waiting to happen when they already have an injury-prone lead back in J.K. Dobbins. The Broncos badly need a big back who can run between the tackles but still make plays, but that won’t be Coleman if he can’t stay on the field.
As for the specifics of Coleman’s knee issues, he sustained a strained knee ligament on Nov. 9 last year, but elected to play through the injury. He struggled in his next two games, gaining just six yards against UCLA and 22 against Oregon. He finished the year on a high note, though, gaining 85 yards on 12 carries against Boise State in Washington’s bowl game.
The Broncos are one of many NFL teams that love it when players are willing to play hurt, and coach Sean Payton has a long history of being a fan of this sort of thing. Running backs are also viewed as something of a disposable commodity in the NFL these days, so that may have also been part of the thought process in selecting him.
It’s intriguing gamble considering how thin Denver is at running back and how much that cost them this year, and it will be worthwhile to see how explosive Coleman looks in training camp.
