The Denver Broncos, as of now, are going to field the same running back room in 2026 as they did in 2025, which could be a bad idea. However, there is direct reporting, as we'll see below, on the team adding another running back in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With that likely being the case, the Broncos are trying to avoid what happened during the 2025 season. Right as quarterback Bo Nix was heating up, J.K. Dobbins went down with a season-ending foot injury, and the bulk of the workload in the backfield they went to RJ Harvey, a rookie from UCF.
Denver used a second-round pick on Harvey, and while he got into the endzone a whopping 12 games, his efficiency as a runner was simply bad. Harvey averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and had just five of 17 games averaging at least four yards per carry, which is simply not a sustainable number. With the Broncos prepared to draft another running back, could Harvey suddenly see his role diminished in 2026?
Denver Broncos' RJ Harvey might be at risk of seeing his role diminished in 2026
Mike Klis recently reported that the Broncos would use one of their first three picks in this year's draft on a running back, citing that the team cannot go forward with Dobbins and Harvey again in 2025:
Klis likes J.K. Dobbins’ value, yet says Denver must improve the RB room and add pieces in draft#broncoscountry #nfl @mikeklis9news | @I_CU_boy | @JDavisD12 pic.twitter.com/kTKgHZVDu8
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) April 4, 2026
Denver's first three picks are at 62, 108, and 111. Both of those fourth-round picks did not originally belong to the Broncos, The 108th pick belonged to the New Orleans Saints, who the Broncos traded Devaughn Vele to. The 111th pick was the fourth-round pick swap from the Miami Dolphins in the Jaylen Waddle trade.
Some running backs who figure to be available around these slots could be Mike Washington Jr, Jonah Coleman, Demond Claiborne, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and perhaps some others. While the running back talent isn't that special in this year's draft, there are some notable names when you get into the middle rounds.
And that's really the sweet spot of where Denver is picking. One glaring note I've taken from this is asking myself if the Broncos would even need to do this had Harvey been more efficient on the ground in 2025.
Harvey averaging fewer than four yards per carry was a tough pill to swallow, but if he wasn't this inefficient, I am not sure the Broncos would be having this conversation. In my eyes, drafting another running back, potentially in the second round, would be a direct indictment on Harvey, not Dobbins.
Denver knows what to expect from Dobbins and probably expected him to get hurt in 2025, as unfortunate as that sounds. However, they seemed to be quite high on Harvey, but the rushing efficiency did not at all reflect his second-round billing.
There are some rock-solid pure runners in this year's draft. Coleman, a sturdily-built running back from Washington, is 5-8, 220 pounds, and is already excellent in pass protection. What would happen with Harvey if the Broncos took Coleman? Would it be a guarantee that he emerged as the second option to Dobbins?
I'm not so sure that would be the case. Harvey's above-average receiving ability is evident, but Coleman, for example, could possess a stronger ability as a runner. This is all to say that Harvey's role as the RB2 or even RB1.5, if you will, isn't a guarantee. The Broncos have their eyes on a running back at some point in this year's NFL Draft, and it could soon put Harvey on notice.