The Denver Broncos finishing 14-3 in 2025 was not something that many fans saw coming. All in all, 2025 was a very successful campaign for Denver, but it ended with a massive asterisk, as the Broncos are surely playing for a Super Bowl title if Bo Nix never got hurt.
But if we look at the big picture, here, it's hard to not be super optimistic about the team. With Russell Wilson's dead cap gone, a top-5 roster, and a full cupboard of 2026 NFL Draft picks, the Broncos are approaching one of the most resource-rich offseasons they have ever had. Furthermore, this team was able to take care of three (almost) free agents during the season, extending all of Will Lutz, Luke Wattenberg, and Malcolm Roach.
The Broncos could make some strides this offseason in improving the roster, and one of the biggest decisions the front office will have to make is figuring out what to do with the running back room. J.K. Dobbins was excellent in his 10 games with the team in 2025, but the injuries just don't seem to stop for the veteran back. Well, a projected free agency fit for Dobbins would be a bit heartbreaking for Broncos fans.
Could the Denver Broncos lose J.K. Dobbins in free agency to a 2026 opponent?
Nathan Jahnke of PFF identified the Carolina Panthers as the best free agency landing spot for J.K. Dobbins for fantasy football purposes. Here is some of what he had to say:
"All running backs need good run blocking to have success, but the gap between Dobbins' play is more extreme than that of most running backs. If Dobbins doesn’t get contacted by the defense until he’s past the line of scrimmage, he averages 7.3 yards per carry over the last two seasons, seventh among all running backs. If he’s contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage, he averages 1.6 yards per carry, 26th.
"The Carolina Panthers had the fourth-highest team run-blocking grade last season. They have Chuba Hubbard, under contract, and Rico Dowdle, who is a free agent, and both are better than Dobbins when contacted early but not as good as Dobbins when the blocking is solid. Dobbins would be a better fit for the offense, showing the potential to make several big plays. While he would have to compete for snaps with Hubbard, he has the potential for a larger workload in Carolina compared to competing with R.J. Harvey in his second season with the Denver Broncos."
We don't yet know the dates and times, but the Broncos are set to face off against the Carolina Panthers in the 2026 NFL Season. In this blurb, Nathan Jahnke identifies the Panthers as an ideal fit for Dobbins because of his ability to create big plays when the run blocking is strong, and the Panthers, as Jahnke notes, had one of the best run-blocking units in the NFL in 2025.
It would be a bit tough to see J.K. Dobbins leaving in free agency, period, as he's an extremely likable player, has talked about his desire to remain with the team, and was very efficient across the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season before hurting his foot.
However, the Broncos are kind of beyond the ability to 'hope' that a player stays healthy, as this team just saw a potential Super Bowl title disappear after Bo Nix got hurt, and there is simply no guarantee that Super Bowl windows remain open.
The Broncos have to improve the backfield aggressively to further increase their chances of a window being sustainable. While Dobbins is a talented player, the Broncos may be better off signing someone like Breece Hall, Tyler Allgeier, or even Rico Dowdle, who spent the 2025 season with Carolina.