All things considered, the 2025 NFL Season was a massive success, but it comes with a giant asterisk. The Broncos earned the AFC West title, tied the franchise record with 14 wins, and also earned the top seed in the conference. This ended up being the best season since 2015.
Denver beat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round but lost Bo Nix to the broken ankle in the overtime period. The Broncos put up a good fight against the New England Patriots in the AFC title game but fell short, and it's abundantly clear that the Broncos win that game if Bo Nix is in the lineup.
The 2025 season will go down as a massive 'what if' for the franchise, and that's the harsh reality of the situation. Not only that, but the 'what if' can be applied to other players who got hurt. Sure, Denver was one of the healthier teams in the NFL this year, but they still battled key injuries. On the offensive side of the ball, this free agent just made his stances crystal clear, but also battled a major injury in 2025.
JK Dobbins absolutely wants to remain with the Denver Broncos in 2026, and perhaps beyond
JK Dobbins was on pace to have a stellar season for the Denver Broncos, but a foot injury ended his season after the Week 10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. During the locker cleanout portion of the Broncos first day of the offseason, Dobbins spoke about his desire to remain with the Broncos:
J.K. Dobbins: “I think that I’ll be here. Hopefully I’ll be here”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 26, 2026
Calls himself a “Bronco for life”
Dobbins just turned 27 years old this year and was a very effective runner for the Denver Broncos this year. His stats across 10 games this year were impressive:
153 carries
772 yards
4 touchdowns
5.0 yards per rush
Had Dobbins played in all 17 games, he would have been on pace to finish with:
260 carries
1,312 yards
7 touchdowns
Simply put, JK Dobbins was great, and the Broncos rushing attack was a legitimate threat. The run game instantly got worse when he left the lineup, so there is absolutely a ton of value in a potential return. But as we all know, Dobbins' injury history is notable, and if the Broncos were to bring him back, in my opinion, it would have to be on another one-year, cheap deal, while also pursing more insurance.
Potentially adding two running backs this offseason could be the move, including Dobbins. JK Dobbins is clearly RB1 material in terms of his ability, but he simply cannot carry a heavy workload. The Broncos should consider bringing the veteran back, but it has to come with another addition.