The Denver Broncos have to field an efficient rushing attack for 2026 and beyond, and the 2025 season only reinforced that idea. During the first 10 weeks of the regular season last year, the Broncos actually did have an efficient ground game, as J.K. Dobbins was on pace to run for over 1,300 yards before the season-ending foot injury.
Had Dobbins not gotten hurt and played a majority of the season, it's very likely that the Broncos would have already re-signed him at this point, as this team really doesn't mess around when they want to bring certain players back, and while Dobbins could still return to the Broncos, the team might want to shoot a bit higher and sign someone who does not have this big of an injury concern.
Well, this former first-round pick slated to be a free agent could end up being a perfect sidekick with RJ Harvey in the Broncos backfield for years to come.
Travis Etienne and RJ Harvey could be a lethal one-two punch for the Denver Broncos
We've talked about Travis Etienne a lot here, and it seems like the Broncos will have some degree of interest in the player when free agency begins on March 9th. Deals cannot be official until March 11th, but the legal tampering period does allow teams to negotiate with agents.
Etienne just turned 27 in January and has three 1,000-yard seasons in the last four campaigns, amassing 5,136 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns the past four seasons, including a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2025.
He's an efficient runner, as evidenced by his production since 2022, and Etienne also does bring some upside as a receiver. He's caught 168 career passes and averages 345 receiving yards in a 17-game season thus far.
Set to play in his age-27 season, Etienne and Harvey could honestly exist quite nicely in the Broncos backfield. Both players being 'plus' receivers does put more strain on a defense than usual, and Etienne is also a running back who has missed just two games the past four seasons, so this is someone who the Broncos can rely on to tote the rock about 15 times per game, like he did in 2025.
This would allow Harvey to thrive more in a RB2 role. When Dobbins when down, Harvey was forced to carry the load in the backfield, and it became clear that he simply either wasn't ready for that or isn't that type of running back.
With Etienne potentially in the picture, Harvey's skillset would be maximized, so this is a signing that the Broncos should get done immediately, but there are surely going to be other teams who want to sign Etienne.
This could end up being the solution in the backfield for the Broncos.