Why Jonah Coleman could be the Broncos’ most important draft pick this season

The Broncos have their insurance plan at running back. They also have one half of a potential 1-2 punch in the backfield.

The latter is relevant for the long term, and why the skill set that running back Jonah Coleman offers makes sense. At 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds, Coleman has the bulk, between-the-tackles durability and power to handle first- and second-down work, serving as an ideal complement to the speed, quickness, outside explosiveness and open-field threat that RJ Harvey displayed last year in his 12-touchdown rookie season.

But what the Broncos learned last year after J.K. Dobbins succumbed to a Lisfranc injury was that Harvey wasn’t ready — or perhaps ideally suited — to the RB1 half of a 1-2 punch. When Dobbins’ season ended after the Week 10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos’ ground game lost its consistency, a problem that coach Sean Payton acknowledged late last month at the NFL Annual Meeting.

Nevertheless, Payton declared that the re-signing of Dobbins was “a priority ahead of all others” at the running-back position. And although free-agent running back Travis Etienne said that Denver “showed interest” in him before he opted to jump from Jacksonville to his home-state New Orleans Saints, Dobbins was never far from the Broncos’ thoughts, as they not only valued the on-field contributions he brought during his 10 games of work last year, but his added value to the locker room.

Still, to go into the season at running back without a proper contingency plan beyond what existed last year would have been malpractice. The relief plan of compensating for Dobbins by sharing the duties among Harvey, Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin didn’t work. Although McLaughlin had a healthy per-carry average and Badie was solid in pass protection, the combination couldn’t add up to what existed in the season’s first half.

So, now Broncos Country can sleep better, knowing that the running-back room will NOT be status quo. Coleman arrives as a “thumper” — a word he used to describe part of the Broncos’ vision for him — and that could make him a perfect partner for Harvey, the thunder to the Central Florida alumnus’ lightning.

Perhaps that’s why Coleman felt the pairing was meant to be.

“I always knew I was meant to be a Denver Bronco. Like right after the visit, I knew I was going to be a Denver Bronco,” he said. “It was all in God’s plan, and it worked out how it was supposed to.”

So, when the call came Saturday, the thrill was palpable.

“It’s not about when you go, or how you go or how low you go, it’s about going to the right place,” Coleman said. “Ultimately in my heart, I felt like being a Bronco was the perfect place and the perfect situation for me. Like I said, I’m excited to get this thing rolling, and be the player that they drafted and ultimately come in and add value.”

BRONCOS GET A RUNNER WHO’LL EMBRACE THE “DIRTY WORK”

It takes most running backs a little bit of time to master pass protection at the NFL level, and ultimately, that will help determine the extent to which Coleman plays extensively. But that’s a role he embraced at the college level from the moment he began at Arizona before transferring to Washington.

“It’s really important,” Coleman said. “Now I get to go protect Bo Nix, and I take pride in that.

“And I may not have all the exciting plays, all that, but I do the dirty work. I do the things that not a lot of people pay attention to. So, I’m just able to be well-rounded.

“And when I was a freshman, Coach [Scottie] Graham told me, ‘The only way you’re going to get on this field is if you’re able to pick up blitzes.’ And just being able to be well-rounded, not be able to come off the field on third down is what I bring.”

If Coleman develops as the Broncos hope, he should eventually stay on the field enough to become half of the Broncos’ one-two punch with Harvey — perhaps by 2027, depending on whether Dobbins plays through the second year of a contract that is effectively a one-year deal for all intents and purposes.

But Dobbins has been on injured reserve at some point in five consecutive seasons. If that becomes six, Coleman’s turn will arrive this season. And that will give him a potential immediate impact far above what you’d expect for a fourth-round pick.

In other words, Coleman may not be an ordinary Day 3 choice. He might become one of the most crucial players on the roster of a Super Bowl contender.

 

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