The Broncos don’t need a 1,000-yard rusher to have a great RB room

The Denver Broncos have been chasing the same ghost for seven years. A 1,000-yard rusher. A bell-cow back who can carry the load from September through January and give the offense the kind of ground-game identity that takes pressure off the passing attack.

Phillip Lindsay was the last player to do it. In 2019. Since then, the position has been defined by injuries, inconsistency and depth charts that never quite inspired confidence.

That may finally be changing, just not in the way most people expected.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey made the case that the Broncos running back room doesn’t need a single star to carry the position. It needs exactly what it has, three backs with distinct skill sets who complement each other in ways that make the entire unit more dangerous than any one of them could be on his own.

J.K. Dobbins is the steady, reliable option, the back who can line up behind the offensive line on any down and consistently move the chains for five yards when the offense needs it most. R.J. Harvey brings dual-threat versatility, operating as a legitimate weapon in the passing game while continuing to develop as a between-the-tackles runner. And rookie Jonah Coleman, the training camp sensation who has already earned the coaching staff’s endorsement, is the bowling ball. The short-yardage bruiser who can lower his shoulder into a defensive front and drag the pile forward when every inch matters.

Lammey laid out the full picture of what that trio represents.

“They have everything they need to run the ball effectively, and to be dangerous as receivers, plural, out of the backfield,” Lammey said.

He then broke down how the pass-catching responsibilities should be distributed.

“I don’t really want J.K. catching more than like 10, 12 passes the entire year. And then Jonah’s a really good receiver. R.J. is a great receiver. So they’ve got everything that you need,” Lammey said.

Dobbins’ value lives between the tackles as a runner. Asking him to be a high-volume receiver pulls him away from what he does best and exposes him to the kind of additional wear and tear that his injury history can’t afford. Harvey and Coleman, meanwhile, both offer legitimate receiving ability that allows the Broncos to keep a running back on the field in passing situations without tipping their hand to the defense.

Lammey then delivered the summary that captures why this room feels different than anything Denver has assembled in years.

“Different styles to do it with. Explosive playmaking ability. They’ve got ruggedness at the running back position. They’ve got it all,” Lammey said.

That’s the distinction between a running back room built around one player and one built around a collective. The Broncos may not produce a 1,000-yard rusher in 2026. But if Dobbins gives them reliable early-down production, Harvey creates mismatches in the passing game, and Coleman converts the critical short-yardage situations that swing momentum in tight games, the total output from the position could exceed what any single back would have provided.

The running back room has been a question mark for years in Denver. For the first time in a long time, the answer isn’t one name. It’s three. And Cecil Lammey believes that is exactly how it should be.

Related

Denver Broncos 2026 cutdown trackerAfter up-and-down camp, Broncos tight end Joly closes preseason with a flourishTight end room makes a statement in the Broncos preseason finaleEhlinger has nice game, but Broncos’ QB2 race remains unsettledAs most Broncos starters rest, Jonathon Cooper starts and playsBroncos lose Mims to foot injury on first series