Broncos running back depth already looks in good hands with Jonah Coleman

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos coach Sean Payton said earlier in training camp that when he watches fourth-round rookie running back Jonah Coleman go about his work, he doesn’t see a rookie, but a player who seems far more seasoned.

During Monday’s Broncos training camp practice, Coleman continued to show why.

Coleman continued to look strong between the tackles, displaying a nice blend of patience and burst. He’ll wait for the crease to flash open, and then is decisive and quick to explode through the hole, leading to some solid gains over the course of training camp.

But his work in the passing game stood out Monday — both as a target, and in pass protection. During a team period late in practice, he had two consecutive blitz pickups — although on one, Enyi Uwazurike still got past Matt Peart for a sack of quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

On the play that followed, Coleman started by lowering his shoulder into Jonah Elliss, then eased his way into the left flat. Breaking wide open, Stidham quickly found Coleman, and he was quickly in full gallop, easily moving the chains on a third-and-10 play.

Coleman’s progress and ability to grasp the concepts makes sense to Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who can see that Coleman’s groundwork at the University of Washington got him ready for this chance.

“You can tell he came from a developmental system in college,” Nix said. “I think he did a really good job. He was coached really well in college. They did a lot of versatile things.

“So, that I think when he gets here, it’s not as big of a jump. And he’s familiar with the verbiage, familiar with the positions that we’re putting him in, and he’s just responding well. He’s great out of the backfield. He can run routes, he can catch. He’s explosive. And I think obviously as a running back, his strength is going to be running between the tackles and being physical.

“So I think with how our offense is evolving — how our running back position goes — he does a really good job of being able to do both run and catch the ball in the backfield.”

So Nix, an Oregon Duck, has plenty of praise for Coleman, a Washington Husky. That’s two teammates on opposite sides of that fierce Pacific Northwest rivalry, now coming together in the same Broncos backfield.

And Coleman’s growth comes just as the Broncos received a reminder of J.K. Dobbins’ injury-scarred career when the seven-year veteran left Monday’s practice early due to a soft-tissue injury.

There’s plenty of time for Dobbins to recover and get up to speed, of course. The goal isn’t to be ready for Aug. 14 — the date of the Broncos’ preseason opener in Atlanta — but Sept. 14, when the regular season kicks off in Kansas City.

But the team added Coleman for plenty of reasons — including that he can spell Dobbins if the need arises. His skill set is similar to that of Dobbins. So is his intelligence. If Dobbins can’t keep his “pinky promise” of playing all 17 regular-season games, Coleman shows signs of being ready to handle the burden.

FELLOW BRONCOS FOURTH-ROUNDER KAGE CASEY IS DOMINATING IN ONE-ON-ONE WORK

Selected by the Broncos four picks after Coleman in the fourth round, Boise State product Kage Casey is likely to only see extensive action this season if the offensive-line group absorbs multiple injuries. But you can see the possibilities for Casey over the horizon.

Casey won all four of his one-on-one repetitions Monday, and he did so in much the same manner as he’d been faring well during that period of practice in previous days, getting quickly into pass-protection position, establishing a strong base and being difficult to dislodge.

But when opposing pass rushers go to their second move — as Sai’vion Jones did Monday — Casey is light on his feet and can rapidly adjust.

“He’s got good feet,” Payton said. “He’s smart.

He’s worked primarily at left guard since his arrival, and Payton noted that Casey’s “ideal position” remains at guard. That makes sense, given his arm length of 32 3/4 inches — just below the widely accepted 33-inch threshold for what NFL teams would prefer from offensive tackles.

But Payton adds that Casey will have the flexibility to cross-train at center.

“He comes to us having been well-coached. You feel that in his play. We felt that on film,” Payton said. “We’ve been pretty fortunate with some of those draft picks and [undrafted] free agents in the offensive line.”

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