After a blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the preseason, the Denver Broncos will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. Denver is going to play their starters, and that does include quarterback Bo Nix.
Other players like wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back J.K. Dobbins could make their preseason debuts as well. Obviously, the team isn't going to trot out starters for an entire half, but getting those necessary reps in is still insanely important.
While the starters may not play more than a couple of series, we still could see this revamped unit on the offensive side of the ball really begin to flex their muscles.
Denver Broncos RB room has a great chance to be full-throttle against the Packers
Dobbins did leave practice last week, but that seemed to be a rather minor injury, as head coach Sean Payton had described it as a 'soft tissue' thing. He is healthy, and with Jonah Coleman and RJ Harvey both healthy and likely prepared to see some snaps, the Broncos running back room could be at full-strength for preseason Week 2.
And while Dobbins may not get more than a handful of carries, this is a position where much of the attention has been this offseason. As we saw last year, the Broncos run game was in an exceptional spot when Dobbins was healthy, but it cratered following his season-ending foot injury, as Harvey just was not ready to be thrown into a legitimate RB1 role.
It also showed that the Broncos needed another pair of legs in the backfield, and ever since being drafted, Coleman has checked every single box for the Broncos, and that spilled into the preseason, as he gained 24 yards on four carries and showed great things like burst, vision between the tackles, and contact balance.
With Payton himself having compared Coleman to Dobbins in terms of running style, it shouldn't come as a surprise that his debut in the NFL was excellent. As of now, it does feel like Dobbins and Coleman could be the two primary runners in the room, with Harvey coming on as a receiver and perhaps mop-up duty on the ground.
It would be quite hard for the Broncos to get a trio of running backs consistently involved in each game, but it's also a good problem to have, as I am not sure there are many teams that boast the depth that Denver has at the position, and this could finally be something we see on the field against the Packers.
If the Broncos run game does turn into a strength this coming season, it might be 'curtains' for the rest of the AFC, as an efficient run game could have propelled the Broncos to the Super Bowl last year even without Nix in the lineup.
It's almost hard to contain the excitement with the running back room, as the Broncos front office has totally revamped this unit, and with this past offseason being what felt like the 'final' series of moves, this unit could burst onto the scene in 2026.
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