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J.K. Dobbins spoke candidly about his expectations for 2026.

The Denver Broncos’ plans did not unfold as they hoped in 2025. But the Broncos were encouraged enough to re-sign J.K. Dobbins back, keeping him in the mix with 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey and veterans Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.

This coming season, the Broncos have secured a little more insurance, but their hopes still largely rest on Dobbins.

Moreover, he may not be their only concern.

Broncos Get Strong Words From J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey Amid Injury Update

Dobbins missed the final seven games of the regular season and the Broncos’ playoff run after suffering a Lisfranc injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10. He told the Denver Post’s Luca Evans that he plans to prove his production was not a fluke and that his injuries were.

Dobbins, who told Evans he nearly signed with  the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason has an extensive history of injuries, but he remains defiant about being snake-bitten.

“What I’m going to show is that last year wasn’t a fluke. Like, instead of being No. 3 in the NFL, I’ll be No. 1 this year,” Dobbins said, per Evans, in comments made during his recent youth football camp and published on June 15, adding, “And there won’t be any injuries.”

Dobbins has never logged a full regular-season slate of games in his career.

The Broncos hoped that Harvey would be able to pick up the slack. Harvey told Evans that he feels “way more comfortable” heading into Year 2 and that “it’s only going to get better.”

However, Evans also reported that, “Quietly, Harvey suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder in the Broncos’ season-ending championship-game loss to New England and had surgery to repair it in the offseason, multiple sources with knowledge of the injury told The Post. Harvey hasn’t done much team work in OTAs but has been practicing with the Broncos.”

That is not exactly reassuring for the Broncos, who were ninth in rushing yards per game before Dobbins’ injury but finished the campaign ranked 21st, per Team Rankings. Keeping him healthy could once again be paramount.

Broncos Rookie Primed to Have Significant Role

Dobbins’ injury history and what Harvey–who suffered a torn ACL in college–showed as a rookie could set the stage for 2026 fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman to have a fairly substantial role in the Broncos’ offense.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has already raved about Coleman, comparing him to Dobbins as a runner.

Coleman also has pass-catching chops, which could sap reps from Harvey.

The Broncos will want to be versatile, and new offensive coordinator Davis Webb knows that using the Broncos’ backs as uniformly as they did last season–with Dobbins handling the ground work and Harvey thriving as a pass-catcher–limits the group’s effectiveness.

Coleman’s ability to handle work on the ground and as a receiver out of the backfield could pay off with a large snap share before the campaign closes.

How Badie and McLaughlin factor in remains to be seen.

The Broncos also have former undrafted free agent Cody Schrader, though he does not figure to factor heavily into the plans at running back. Instead, the three-headed combination of Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman is under the microscope for the Broncos.