Over the first three games for the Denver Broncos, one player has stood out on offense consistently. With 222 yards rushing on 41 rushing attempts, J.K. Dobbins is averaging 5.4 yards per rush. Dobbins also has three rushing touchdowns and four receptions on the season for 14 yards.
Dobbins has amassed 60+ rushing yards and scored in every contest this season. No other Broncos player has gained 50+ yards in each game, rushing or receiving. Every time Dobbins has stepped on the field this season, he has proved why the Denver Broncos made the right decision when they signed him this offseason.
Along with his talents on the field, his leadership in an unproven running back room is just another addition.
JK Dobbins has been outstanding early on for Broncos in 2025
Dobbins' early-season success is not just the best for any Bronco in 2025 but is probably the best start for any Broncos' playmaker during the entire Sean Payton era. Over the first three-game span for the Broncos in 2024, Javonte Williams, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Audric Estime rushed for 192 yards combined.
2023 was not significantly better for the Broncos' running backs. Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 212 yards, which is better, but still not what J.K. Dobbins has rushed for alone during the 2025 season.
As a team, the Denver Broncos needed Dobbins. An intense veteran who takes his job seriously, produces when called upon, Dobbins is clearly the most reliable Denver Broncos player this season. Without a doubt, on offense, but he has played so well, it might be the case for the entire team.
Dobbins has broken the Broncos free from the chains that their offense has carried several times this season. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos' offense go as Dobbins goes. Denver Broncos' Head Coach Sean Payton needs to take notice of this quickly.
Keeping a light workload for the veteran is great if others around him can produce and make plays for the offense consistently. While Troy Franklin's emergence has been wonderful and Courtland Sutton does what Courtland Sutton does, neither has been as steady as Dobbins.
Payton and the Broncos have a chance to show the league and everyone watching on Monday Night Football that they are a team that should remain on their radars. But if the offense continues to stall, having more three-and-outs than not, the team will be forgotten about quickly.
Fans will continue to be frustrated; national and local pundits will continue to be irrationally negative with Bo Nix if the Broncos can't fix their offensive woes. At home, under the lights, against a beat-up Bengals team that just surrendered 48 points to the Minnesota Vikings, Sean Payton has a chance to get his team back on track.
That does not happen without J.K. Dobbins. Payton must run the offense through the only consistent playmaker that the team has right now.