The Denver Broncos trade deadline is over. The Broncos did make a move, but perhaps not at the position that many expected, as this team swung a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, of all teams, for linebacker Daiyan Henley.
Henley is a pretty slick player who is in the final year of his contract, and Denver traded two draft picks for him. That was the lone player that Denver added, but at least they did dip into the deadline market and didn't sit still.
With the team not adding a running back, though, it's pretty clear that this team has a ton of faith in Jonah Coleman, the rookie running back.
Denver Broncos not add a running back is clear faith in rookie Jonah Coleman
Coleman has already spent some time on IR, and in his three games back, he has seen nine, 11, and 17 carries for the Broncos. He's been ramped up each week with his carries and has now carried the ball 47 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns this year.
During that three-game stint since returning from IR, we have seen the carries fall for J.K. Dobbins, who got six, seven, and four carries during that stretch. It's clear that Dobbins is being phased out of the rotation, and even with RJ Harvey being on IR, we just are not seeing the work for Dobbins.
Dobbins had no fewer than eight carries in the first six games of the season but then fell into single digits in the past three games. Thus far, Dobbins leads with 98 carries, but Coleman is catching up with 47. RJ Harvey has 24 carries and cannot come off IR until December 6th against the Miami Dolphins.
Denver didn't feel the need to make a move for a running back, and with Coleman gradually getting more work, this is as obvious a 'we believe in this player' as you'll see. Coleman has showed a lot of nice things thus far, as we have seen the upside as a receiver, and the pass protection was already present.
And it did seem like both Jonathan Taylor and Tony Pollard were available for the right price, but the Broncos will rock with the trio of Coleman, Dobbins, and Harvey, as Harvey can come off IR in a few weeks. Overall, this is a major gamble, but the coaching staff has clearly seen enough in Coleman to ride him down the stretch.
The Broncos schedule does soften up quite a bye following the bye, so perhaps this could be a time for the run game to finally get going.
Add us as a preferred source on Google