The Denver Broncos were not that active in free agency outside of retaining most of their own in-house free agents. Many fans across Broncos Country were actually a bit upset by this and perhaps still wonder why the team didn't do much on the open market.
It was one of the more interesting free agency periods we have seen, especially when you lump in the Jaylen Waddle trade, which kind of busted open the floodgates in a way. On paper, the Broncos probably looked at their group and felt like a ton of external free agency signings weren't needed.
Only time will tell if the front offices and coaches got that right, though.
On Monday, it was revealed in some fresh reporting that the most important free agency mover the Broncos made almost never happened.
Denver Broncos almost lost J.K. Dobbins to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Luca Evans of The Denver Post reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars nearly signed J.K. Dobbins in free agency. It seems like the Broncos swooped in at the last minute and offered a strong enough deal to keep Dobbins on the Broncos for at least the 2026 NFL Season.
#Broncos RB notes in here:
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) June 15, 2026
RJ Harvey tore labrum in shoulder vs. NE + had surgery in offseason, per sources. Didn't do much in OTAs but was practicing.
J.K. Dobbins had a deal w/#Jaguars in FA near-done, source said, before Denver re-signed him.https://t.co/Np5Gq2cf7x https://t.co/eDfP0ufU45
Here's a blurb from Evans' article that really indicates how close this situation was to actually happening:
"Dobbins’ return to Denver was far from a sure thing, though. As both the Broncos and Dobbins explored their options when free agency opened on the morning of March 9, Dobbins had a potential agreement lined up with fellow AFC contender Jacksonville that was essentially “done,” according to a source with knowledge of the process."
When you put all the pieces together, it makes some sense. Travis Etienne, who was also a free agent running back, said himself that the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs showed interest in him in free agency, but he ultimately chose the New Orleans Saints:
Travis Etienne told me the Chiefs and Broncos were two teams showing interest in free agency, but once the Saints entered the picture the decision became fairly simple. @wwlamfm
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) March 13, 2026
The Broncos clearly did not have Dobbins as their top running back option, at least, that's what this all seems like. Once Etienne chose the Saints, and the Broncos perhaps got word that Jacksonville wanted Dobbins, they made one final push.
The real loser here is clearly the Jaguars, as the Saints landed Etienne, the Chiefs landed Kenneth Walker III, and the Broncos kept Dobbins, who was a more efficient running back on a per-carry basis than the former.
All in all, the Broncos made the right move - it would have been neat to see Etienne on the team, but he's now on a big-time four-year deal, so the Broncos are also, financially speaking, getting a better bang for their buck than the Saints and Chiefs are getting for their running backs.
The Broncos were able to wheel and deal to ensure the Jaguars, an up-and-coming AFC team, did not land Dobbins.
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