The last handful of years have been brutal for the Denver Broncos at the running back position. Former second-round pick Javonte Williams suffered an injury early in the 2022 season, which really sent the team into a downward spiral for nearly three full years.
The last back to eclipse 100 yards rushing in a game for the Broncos is Latavius Murray, who did it at the end of the 2022 season when Jerry Rosburg was the interim head coach. The last Broncos running back to run for over 1,000 yards was Phillip Lindsay back in 2019. Lindsay was also, believe it or not, the last Bronco to run for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
To say the team is due for a back to break through would be an understatement, and the Broncos might have finally solved the issue in 2025 with a couple of really nice, under-the-radar moves.
Broncos duo of JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey could take RB unit to a new level in 2025
Averaging 69.6 yards per game last season on the ground, JK Dobbins was on pace for well over 1,000 yards had he been able to play a full 17-game slate. Injuries have been a consistent issue for Dobbins over the course of his career, but even sustaining that pace for 13 games is impressive. His 69.6 yards per game ranked 10th in the entire NFL, and among backs in the top 10 of that particular category, he had the second-fewest attempts per game (behind only Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions).
Dobbins was efficient last year, and a big reason for that is the fact that he was one of the best in the NFL at breaking tackles and creating yards after contact.
The Broncos have significantly raised the floor by adding Dobbins to the mix, but they've also got an exciting rookie to get involved early and often.
RJ Harvey was one of the most explosive backs in all of college football over the last couple of seasons and was considered the back with arguably the best vision in the entire class according to GM George Paton. When you combine big-play ability with vision, you get a back that has a chance to really bring a spark to your offense at the next level.
The Broncos are obviously hopeful they can get even a little bit better at this position going forward.
despite running behind that #1 ranked OL, in 2024 Javonte Williams ranked:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 11, 2025
#45 of 47 RBs in rush yards over expected
#46 of 47 RBs in % of rushes to gain more than expected
in addition, he hit 15+ mph on only 10.1% of his rushes
#39 out of 44 RBs
The eye test was bad enough for Javonte Williams last season, but the actual numbers are far worse.
With Melvin Gordon, the Broncos had a constant ball security issue. With Williams, the Broncos had a major vision issue and big problems in the tight red zone. Williams had one yard on eight carries inside the 5-yard line last season, another huge issue he had throughout the course of his time in Denver.
It's possible that the Broncos didn't just stumble into an upgrade at running back, but they might have one of the best duos in the entire NFL if Dobbins can keep up his efficiency per touch and Harvey can bring vision and big-play ability to the table.