Jonah Coleman could change the Broncos potential running back trade plans

Three games into his offensive role, the rookie Jonah Coleman has Andrew Mason and Cecil Lammey asking whether the Broncos already have their lead back

BY DENVER SPORTS

Nov 4, 2026, 1:01 PM

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Watch: Can Jonah Coleman be the key to a Super Bowl run? | Orange and Blue Today | 24 mins

Three games into his offensive career, Jonah Coleman has handed the Broncos a question that changes the trade market: what if the answer is already in the building?

On a recent episode of “Orange and Blue Today,” Cecil Lammey and Andrew Mason argued that Denver should answer that before it spends anything on a running back. Coleman didn’t carry the ball in Week 1, Mason noted, so his body of work is Jacksonville, Arizona and Kansas City. He has been better in each one.

Project the player you have

Mason’s case is about trajectory. If Coleman looks like this after three games, what does he look like as the lead back with more work?

“Before you make any deal, you have to project Jonah Coleman,” Mason said.

The evidence is more than a feeling. Mason pointed to a 51-yard catch and run against Kansas City, a 4.5-yard rushing average that includes goal-line struggles and a slow start against Jacksonville, and a habit of getting stronger as games go on. Lammey added a stat from draft analyst Dane Brugler: Coleman had six receptions of 20 yards or more last year, third most among college running backs.

Mason’s conclusion was blunt.

“Is it wise to give up a lot in draft assets for Jonathan Taylor? I would argue no,” he said.

Trust shows up in snaps

The clearest sign came Sunday. After J.K. Dobbins lost eight yards on a play, he got four more snaps and Coleman got 34. Mason read that as the sideline losing trust. Lammey called it fair, since Coleman was the hot hand.

Mason said Dobbins also made a bad play worse by trying to escape it. Coleman’s strength is the opposite — getting something when nothing is there.

“When you dance, you’re more likely to go backwards or get no gain,” Mason said.

The rental question

If the real need is help for the rest of this season, the guys said, the calculation changes. Harvey and Tyler Badie are both on injured reserve, and Mason asked whether a trade target is just “a temp.”

Tony Pollard is on an expiring deal, with about $3.5 million left, against roughly $4.6 million in Denver cap space. Taylor is signed for two more years at what Mason called sizable cap figures, and he would require ancillary moves to fit.

Where the guys hedge

Lammey is just as high on Coleman, and he sees a long-term pairing with Harvey.

“What RJ does, only RJ can do, and what Jonah does, he does it better than anyone else on the roster,” he said.

But Lammey doesn’t think Sean Payton will ever use a bell cow. He also granted that Taylor means “multiple chances at Super Bowls, plural,” even though he believes the ground game is this team’s key either way.

Then there is health. Mason said 75% of the running back room has been on injured reserve, Coleman included, and Dobbins is the only back to play every game. Lammey said he doesn’t trust Dobbins, who he said is no longer the back he was a year ago.

The argument comes down to durability. If Coleman stays on the field and keeps growing, the Broncos may not need to pay for Taylor. If he doesn’t, the cost of waiting gets harder to ignore.

Disclosure: This article was transcribed from our original audio content and edited for readability with the assistance of generative AI. The article has been reviewed by our editorial team prior to publication. Please watch or listen to the clip above for the full segment.