The Denver Broncos have now won four games in a row and sit at 6-2 for the second season in a row. With one game left before the Week 10 bye, the Broncos travel to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 9.
Carolina is 3-4 on the season after two-straight losses, which came after two-straight wins. The Panthers have been stuck in this .500-ish mud since the start of 2025, as they finished that year 8-9. And while the players can push the ball down the field and can be an efficient offense, the defense is anything but.
In fact, the Broncos could finally put together a strong rushing performance from beginning to end. Even if that happens, though, the team needs to ensure they come away with a running back at the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline.
Denver Broncos could have their best rushing day in Week 8, but...
Through their first seven games, Carolina ranks 28th in points allowed per game, at 27.6. Their defense coordinator was Ejiro Evero, who held the same role with the Broncos back in 2022, but he was recently fired. Todd Wash is now the interim DC. Wash was last a DC in the 2016-2020 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. During those years, his defenses ranked 25th, 2nd, 4th, 21st, and 31st in points per game.
As for Carolina's run defense, it's quite bad - the unit has allowed 985 yards on the ground this year, which ranks 24th in the NFL. They also allow 4.8 yards per carry, which is tied for the 4th-worst mark in football. Carolina's 12 rushing touchdowns allowed is the most in football. And as for Wash's history as a DC with defending the run, his units have ranked 19th, 21st, 19th, 28th, and 30th in yards allowed.
This isn't a good defense, period. The Broncos have struggled to run the ball this year as well. The team has run for at least 100 yards in just three of their eight games this year. With 92.6 rushing yards per game, the Broncos own rushing offense ranks 26th in the NFL in yards per game.
WIth all of that said, Jonah Coleman has played quite well for the Broncos this year and is very clearly the team's best running back. He has amassed 134 rushing yards in three games this year that he has gotten carries, averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry, to go along with a 53.3 percent sucess rate.
What we have seen from Coleman indicates Denver has a future RB1 on their hands, but he's gotten touches in just three NFL games.
Three!
The Broncos are in a Super Bowl window and saw J.K. Dobbins go down right after the trade deadline last year. Denver couldn't run the ball consistently after that and were not able to make an addition via trade. While Coleman has been mostly awesome this year, and the Broncos have a very advantageous matchup in Week 8, the team likely putting together a strong rushing performance should still keep this team right in the middle of trade talks for a running back.
Both Coleman and RJ Harvey have already been hurt this year, and Dobbins has been a shell of his former self. The Broncos also likely won't be seeing bad run defenses in the playoffs like they'll see against Carolina in Week 9.
There is a very good chance that Coleman and even Dobbins could both have efficient games on the ground, and while the immediate reaction in that scenario might be 'see, the Broncos don't need a running back,' the team should consider otherwise. If now isn't the time to make a major addition, when is it time?
Denver saw a potential Super Bowl year in 2025 go out the window - the urgency needs to be the highest its been in the Sean Payton era. We have seen this RB room as a whole get banged-up and play poorly at points this year.
One game against a bad defense should not change the season-long outlook to this point. The Broncos must continue the push to add a difference-maker to the RB room.
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