The Denver Broncos heartbreak in the 2025 season could honestly not have been more devastating, especially after watching the AFC Championship Game the following week. Fortunately, Denver has what it takes to get back to that point for the 2026 season.
And while it's not going to be easy, and another 11-game winning streak may be unlikely, the Broncos should be viewed as the best team in the AFC and, truly, the team to beat in the conference. This becomes even truer if, on offense, the running game can get going and remain that way.
The Broncos made two moves of note this offseason to hopefully get the run game on the right track, and their biggest move just got even more motivation to remain healthy and play a full season for the first time in his NFL career.
Denver Broncos' RB J.K. Dobbins continues to get motivation for the 2026 NFL Season
For ESPN, Seth Walder gave the Broncos a B grade for the 2026 offseason. The moves he liked the most were the team retaining both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, but the move he liked the least was, oddly, retaining J.K. Dobbins on a two-year deal:
"Biggest move: Trading for WR Jaylen Waddle
Move I liked: Re-signing LBs Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad
Move I disliked: Re-signing RB J.K. Dobbins
Denver released Dre Greenlaw but brought back fellow linebackers Singleton and Strnad on very reasonable terms ($7.5 million and $6 million per year, respectively). The team also re-signed Dobbins on a two-year, $16 million contract with $8 million guaranteed -- an overpay for an injury-prone 27-year-old back."
Is a two-year deal (that is actually just a one-year deal worth $8 million) an overpay for Dobbins? I do not think so. Dobbins was on pace for over 1,300 yards in 2025 before the injury, and he wasn't so much as on the injury report up until that Week 10 game.
Dobbins was tackled with an illegal hip-drop move that, for some reason, did not get flagged. Dobbins' injury absolutely fell into the 'freak' injury category, and I really do not think this was an injury that happened because of his previous injury history.
He had been tackled legally, the Broncos could have seen him easily eclipse 1,000 yards. The former Raven and Charger earned every bit of the $8 million guaranteed that he got from Denver this offseason, and that's really all it is. If Dobbins can't stay on the field for a majority of the season in 2026, the Broncos can easily cut ties.
The veteran is still just 27 years old, so, as easy as it may be for Walder to argue that 27 is an older age for a running back, I can easily argue that it's not. Many running backs across the NFL are right in the middle of their prime years at 27.
Sure, the shelf life has never been great for running backs, but it's not like Dobbins is turning 30 years old this season. Dobbins has never played more than 15 games in a season, and, dating back to his rookie year, he's missed 54 total regular season games. He's played in 47, so he's only been on the field for games 46.5 percent of the time in his career.
However, Dobbins has played in 23 of 34 regular season games since 2024, which is 67.6 percent. Statistically, he's been able to remain on the field at a higher rate in recent years than at the beginning of his career.
That may not impact 2026, but as people continue to doubt Dobbins, the motivation for the player only has to get greater and greater.
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