Second in a series previewing the Broncos’ 2026 roster in the weeks leading up to training camp in late July. Monday: Quarterbacks. Next up (Wednesday): Wide receivers.
On the roster (seven): J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Adam Prentice (fullback), Cody Schrader
How many on the 53-man roster? Four. Same number as in 2025, and no reason for change there. Dobbins, Harvey and Coleman will almost assuredly form some kind of three-man carousel, with McLaughlin or Badie as a change-of-pace insurance option. Prentice will likely start the season on the practice squad and find his way to the active roster once he runs out of elevations, as the Broncos have done with the Ghost of (Michael) Burtons Past.
Most impactful offseason move? Drafting Coleman.
Re-signing Dobbins — for a surprisingly high $8 million in guaranteed money — is the correct answer here. That’s boring. History, both old and recent, suggests the 27-year-old Dobbins will run like a top-10 running back in the NFL for anywhere between eight and 15 games and get banged up at some point in the process, as high as he is on himself for 2026. The real kicker here for Denver is drafting an injury stabilizer in Coleman, a fourth-round pick out of Washington who profiles as a capable runner and an instant upgrade over Tyler Badie for possible third-down touches.
“You ultimately have a three-headed monster in the run game,” Coleman told reporters after he was drafted in April.
The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Coleman looked ready for instant NFL snaps in OTAs and minicamp this summer, and could spell Dobbins for short-yardage touches in the early going and pick up plenty of slack if anyone in the room misses time. Don’t forget, too, that Badie played 17% of Denver’s offseason snaps last year and ranked seventh on the team in targets (31). Coleman could substantially juice that 17% in a season where Denver will try and improve on the margins to prevent regression to the mean in close games.
Biggest question to answer in camp: How do the Broncos change their run-game identity under new playcaller Davis Webb?
More scheme-specific than room-specific here. Last August, several players directly mentioned that the Broncos were emphasizing more of an outside-zone-heavy rushing attack, a scheme that pops with laterally quick linemen and running backs with good vision to cut back upfield.
“I think we’ve always wanted to be kind of an outside zone team,” tight end Adam Trautman said in 2025 training camp, “and we’re just kind of committing to it.”
They didn’t. According to rushing data collected from Pro Football Focus and assembled by The Denver Post, the Broncos finished with the second-lowest percentage of zone runs (42%) among all AFC teams in 2025. Head coach Sean Payton has repeatedly pointed to Webb’s promotion as a fix for Denver’s run-game consistency, which fell off a cliff after Dobbins’ injury in Week 10 last year. It stands to reason, then, that the Broncos’ general ground scheme could look drastically different come training camp.
Battle to watch: McLaughlin or Badie for RB4.
Scintillating! No, seriously. McLaughlin began the season as a healthy scratch and suddenly blossomed into one of Denver’s most effective per-touch skill players down the stretch after Dobbins’ injury shifted him into an RB2 role. With Coleman in the mix, McLaughlin’s path to a fourth straight season on Denver’s opening 53-man-roster looks dicey.
“Man, I’ve been out there killing myself in the weight room,” McLaughlin said at a charity event in June. “Spitting up a little bit, throwing up a little bit. But it’s been amazing, and I’ve been working my tail off.”
Badie, meanwhile, is trusted by the staff and Nix for his pass-protection skills and veteran instincts. Both Badie and McLaughlin beat out former fifth-round pick Audric Estime for a roster spot in last year’s training camp; they will now face a direct head-to-head competition this August.
Under the radar: Adam Prentice the Menace.
After trusted veteran Burton landed on injured reserve in training camp, the 28-year-old Colorado State product signed with Denver close to the start of the season and quickly filled an integral role as a run-blocker and pass-protector at fullback. Quietly, he played 19% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps last season and nearly half of their special teams snaps. He re-signed for a reason in March and could easily end up playing in all 17 games again in 2026.
