The Denver Broncos had their most intense training camp practice of the 2026 offseason on Wednesday. They were in pads for over two hours. During that time, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle left practice, but head coach Sean Payton said it was 'muscle tightness' and also said that he thinks he'll be fine.
While that is less than ideal, Payton did talk about some players who have impressed thus far, and one of the names that popped up was Jonah Coleman, the team's rookie running back who got picked in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft.
Coleman comes into the NFL with a solid overall skill set at the position. Specifically, he's got pass-blocking chops and takes great care of the football, so I suppose it's not a surprise that Payton mentioned him in a positive way.
Denver Broncos RB Jonah Coleman is earning praise as training camp moves on
Payton even went as far as to say that Coleman 'does not feel like a rookie' which is awesome praise:
Sean Payton had a long pause after being asked for a pleasant surprise of camp so far. Started his answer with Jonah Coleman.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) August 5, 2026
Rookie RB has made quite an impression in the building so far.
Sean Payton was asked if he’s been pleasantly surprised by anyone early in camp.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 5, 2026
He pointed to Jonah Coleman.
Said you don’t feel a rookie. pic.twitter.com/X0om9h92b0
It also comes at the perfect position, as the Broncos do have an injury-prone running back as their de-facto RB1 in J.K. Dobbins, and while Dobbins was hyper-efficient during the 2025 season in his 10 games, his inability to stay on the field is a massive issue and likely played a part in Denver snagging Coleman in the fourth round.
And earlier in the offseason, Payton himself said that Coleman's running style reminds them of Dobbins, which is outstanding, as the veteran running back has averaged 5.2 yards per carry across his career and is actually still a 1,000-yard rusher across a full 17-game pace.
Coleman making this type of impression early on could not be more ideal, as Denver likely isn't going to throw out Dobbins for 15+ carries a game, which is what he averaged during the 2025 season. The best course of action for the room would be to shave a few carries off Dobbins' workload to keep him fresh and give it to someone like Coleman, who is a tough runner and could feast in short yardage situations and perhaps near the goaline.
And with RJ Harvey also being in the room, the Broncos may soon field one of the best running back groups in the NFL, as there is a chance that all three end up being legitimate contributors. But, Coleman's emergence during camp is wonderful news, as his being able to contribute immediately does take some pressure off Dobbins and would also allow Harvey to feast more at what he does best, catching passes out of the backfield.
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