The Denver Broncos were late to the party in the backfield in the 2025 offseason. They did use a second-round pick on RJ Harvey from UCF, but did not make their primary move until June when they signed JK Dobbins.
Dobbins is an RB1 player but has struggled to stay healthy during his career. He was on pace to run for well over 1,000 yards this year before suffering a foot injury in Week 10, which ended his regular season. It does seem like Denver could get JK Dobbins back for the AFC Championship Game, but they'd have to beat the Buffalo Bills to get there.
Well, there is a chance that Denver opts to bring in a more reliable RB in 2026 to pair up with RJ Harvey, and this top-tier RB free agent does make a lot of sense for the team.
Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Etienne named a fit for the Denver Broncos in free agency
Here is some of what Alex Kay said in Bleacher Report about a potential fit with Travis Etienne for the Broncos:
Denver attempted to rectify the issue during the 2025 draft by utilizing a second-round pick on R.J. Harvey. The UCF product has had an up-and-down rookie campaign that began with him failing to beat out J.K. Dobbins. Harvey was only seeing sparse playing time until the injury-prone veteran went down with a foot injury.
While Harvey has occasionally flashed the playmaking abilities that drew the Broncos to him after taking over as the team's RB1—including scoring 12 touchdowns on the year—he's yet to go over 75 yards on the ground in a game and finished his rookie campaign with a concerning 3.7 yards per carry average.
Barring an outstanding playoff run, the Broncos will want to give serious credence to signing a complementary veteran to share the backfield with Harvey next year. The team has a Super Bowl window and can't afford to squander it with an ineffective ground game.
Etienne fits the bill as a relatively affordable, proven weapon who can shoulder a heavy workload while Harvey mixes in as a big-play threat. Although their individual ceilings would be lowered, a Harvey-Etienne platoon would have the ceiling to emerge as the league's leading rushing attack.
One main reason why Travis Etienne could hit free agency in 2026 is because of the Jaguars' cap space. Over The Cap gives them negative $7.6 million in cap, meaning they have to make moves just to get under and get some breathing room.
Another huge reason why Etienne might be available is because the Jaguars took two rookie running backs in 2025 in Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. Jags' GM James Gladstone may have proactively stocked up the RB room in the event that Etienne leaves.
Etienne did actually miss his entire rookie season but has since missed just two games in the following four years. He's only set to enter his age-27 season and has run for 3,798 yards over the last four seasons. He's hit the 1,000-yard mark in each year but 2024.
Here in 2025, Etienne ran for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added 292 receiving yards and six more touchdowns for a total of 1,399 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns. In his four years on the field, he's amassed 5,136 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns, which comes out to 1,323 yards and 8 touchdowns over a 17-game season.
Travis Etienne is a more reliable player than JK Dobbins and could be a more realistic backfield option for the team in 2026 and beyond. This fit makes a lot of sense for both sides.