Broncos Running Back Competition Is One Of Team’s Best Coming Into Training Camp

The Denver Broncos have an intense competition going on at running back right now, and it’s somewhat unexpected. The team filled its main need by re-signing J.K. Dobbins, which is something of a gamble, and RJ Harvey and fourth-round draft pick Jonah Coleman are also competing for playing time. 

Which one will be more productive? Columnist Tory Renck and reporter Luca Evans of the Denver Post took a run at answering this in a back-and-forth piece, and both writers scored some significant points. 

Renck asked the obvious question at the start: t is too early to give up on RJ Harvey as the primary backup? As the columnist pointed out, he scored 12 touchdowns as a rookie, and Harvey a weapon in the passing game as well. 

Evans countered with the point Coleman will play right away. The broncos made that obvious during OTAs and minicamp, and part of what was behind this pick was the relationship GM George Paton has with Washington coach Jedd Fisch, who coached Coleman in college. 

Harvey has faded considerably in the conversations among fans, but the Broncos certainly haven’t forgotten about him, as he led all NFL rookies in touchdowns last season.

Renck pointed out that Coleman is built like Dobbins and runs like him, although Coleman might be even more of a load given that he tends to run low to the ground. He settled on a prediction of 550 yards and five touchdowns, with Harvey playing the role of joker in Sean Payton’s offense given his ability to bounce off contact in the open field. 

Coleman has the ability to catch passes as well, as Evans noted. He caught 31 passes for 354 yards in 12 games last year at Washington, although doing that in the NFL will be a very different task. He also noted that Payton has used two backs who can catch passes consistently throughout his career, although new coordinator Davis Webb will also have a voice in that. 

The problem Harvey had, according to Renck, is that he often ran sideways rather than going north-south. That won’t be an issue with Coleman, and Evans also saw him as a third down back as well. One of the reasons the Broncos drafted Coleman was that he’s already considered strong in pass protection, so the coaches just need to add that at the pro level. 

It’s a fascinating argument, and there’s no clear answer right now. The best answer for the Broncos would be the competition bringing out the best in both, and we’ll start to see how that will work in training camp.