Jonah Coleman return could give Broncos another huge boost after Seahawks win

The Denver Broncos not only survived their 6-game gauntlet to begin the 2026 season; They thrived.

The Broncos are 4-2 heading into their "mini bye" after beating the Seahawks in clutch fashion on Thursday Night Football. But despite the team's clutch performances and solid 4-2 record at this point, the reality of the offense's struggles looms large over the long-term hopes of the team.

This Broncos team has been one of the worst in the league offensively this season, and those issues were even more pronounced in the second half against Seattle. Thankfully, help is on the way.

Rookie running back Jonah Coleman, who has done nothing but impress since he got to Denver, is both eligible and expected to return from injured reserve for the team's Week 7 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Jonah Coleman returning vs. Cardinals could give Broncos offense the jolt it needs

Coleman popped up on the injury report with an ankle injury (high ankle sprain) after the Broncos' win in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and somewhat shockingly, the team placed him on injured reserve.

It turned out to be somewhat of a clever move, because Coleman's injury was not exactly a "minimum 4 weeks" type of injury, but the Broncos knew he would miss at least three games, and the fourth game after that point was on a short week against Seattle.

Putting Coleman on injured reserve gave him a full four weeks to recover since the Broncos' schedule was condensed.

His performance against the Jaguars, especially in the 4th quarter of that game, was exactly what the Denver offense needed. The stat sheet only shows 39 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown, but every Broncos fan who watched the game knows the impact Coleman made as the Broncos drove down the field against one of the best run defenses in the NFL for a go-ahead touchdown.

And it's that feeling that everyone has been chasing ever since.

JK Dobbins's role might come into question with Jonah Coleman's return

The Broncos might have some tough decisions to make on their mini bye week coming up here. Wholesale personnel changes offensively might not seem likely at this point, but if the past two games were an "audition" for JK Dobbins to seize the RB1 job in the absence of Coleman, it's hard to say he's really gone out there and won us all over.

Dobbins, like many on the Broncos' offense this season, has struggled. He's not creating the yardage after contact that he did in the first half of the 2025 season, and simply doesn't look like the same player out there.

There have been a couple of isoloated runs that have excited everyone the past two games, but Dobbins has done nothing so far this season to prevent the Broncos from just handing Coleman the RB1 role when he's ready to go.

Dobbins might be relegated to backup duties before too long.

What Coleman brings to the table right now that Dobbins doesn't is that ability to create yards after contact. Not only that, but Coleman is a much better option in the passing game.

Dobbins appears to have lost his explosiveness, and teams have been able to shut him down at or near the line of scrimmage far too often. Against the Seahawks, he finished with 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Averaging 2.4 yards per carry isn't going to cut it.

When the Broncos take on the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 7, it needs to be Jonah Coleman time.

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