The Denver Broncos have invested a ton into the running back room in recent years. Former players like Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and Audric Estime have come and gone, and it's quite clear how devoted this team is to fixing the room.
Last year, it seemed like the team had a good thing going with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. After Dobbins went down, though, the run game took a nosedive. Harvey just wasn't good enough down-to-down, despite being a legitimate receiving threat.
As we approach 2026, Dobbins signed a two-year extension, Harvey is still in the mix, and fourth-round draft pick Jonah Coleman enters the equation and is someone who does a lot of the dirty work right. With the current set up that the Broncos have in the room, could head coach Sean Payton now see Harvey emerge as his next Alvin Kamara?
Denver Broncos RJ Harvey could emerge as Sean Payton's next Alvin Kamara in 2026
Payton, when he was with the New Orleans Saints, had an elite running back room with Kamara and Mark Ingram, two of his former players. Those duo occupied the Saints backfield for two seasons, in 2017 and 2018. During that two-year stretch, Kamara had 1,611 rushing yards and 1,535 receiving yards. Ingram had 1,769 rushing yards and 586 receiving yards.
While Ingram was a functional receiver, Kamara was that legitimate dual-threat option. Ingram did a lot of the dirty work as a runner. Across those two seasons, he averaged a healthy 4.8 yards per carry, and also added 18 rushing touchdowns and a stellar success rate of 49.7 percent.
Kamara was more of the icing on the cake, as Ingram was a functional, capable running back, but wasn't necessarily a legitimate bell-cow option. It feels like things are trending in that way for the Broncos, right?
Both Dobbins and Coleman, even, could both be capable, efficient running backs for the Broncos in 2026, but it's no guarantee that either is a bell-cow. This is probably more of a hard truth with Dobbins, as he's never played a full season and would be best in a 1A/1B role.
Both Dobbins and Coleman aren't nearly the receiving threat that Harvey is, and if the Broncos see both Dobbins and Coleman perform well as pure runners, Harvey can be deployed in more of a luxury situation, maximizing his unique skillset as a receiver.
In 2025, Harvey caught 47 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns. While this isn't high-end production, 47 receptions from a running back is absolutely something to take note of, especially from a rookie.
And while the Broncos did add Jaylen Waddle this offseason and led the NFL in passing attempts last year, the potential three-headed monster at running back could be especially beneficial for Harvey, as he could emerge as Payton's next Kamara.
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