When the Broncos start their offseason shopping in a few weeks, running back is one of the positions most people expect the team to target. And it makes sense; after all, they added JK Dobbins last offseason, a player who isn’t currently under contract with Denver for the 2026 campaign. So it stands to reason that they’ll be in the market again.
The only thing that might change those plans is if they are convinced that RJ Harvey is ready to become the team’s feature back. He’ll be heading into his second season, looking to build upon a year that saw him rush for 540 yards on 146 carries (3.7 average), plus seven touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 356 yards and another five scores.
Given that production, it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Broncos will look to upgrade. They might be perfectly content with a 25-year-old running back who posted 896 all-purpose yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Listening to their general manager, that option is certainly on the table.
“He’s still a pet cat,” George Paton said on Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about Harvey. “I thought he had a really good year for a rookie, with everything that was thrown at him when (JK) Dobbins got hurt.”
In the final seven regular-season games of the season, Harvey had 96 carries for 326 yards and five touchdowns. He also showed big-play ability, posting a 38-yard run and 32-yard reception against Jacksonville in Week 16.
“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands,” Paton added. “We saw it all stages during the season. He had some big games.”
There was certainly a lot to like about Harvey during the season. While his yards-per-carry was under 4.0, which doesn’t bode well for an every-down back, the general manager prefers to focus on the positives.
“His hands, his route-running ability,” Paton said about Harvey’s strengths. “I thought he improved on first and second down. The game slowed down for him as the season went along.”
In the end, the Broncos saw Harvey’s rookie season as a successful one.
“I couldn’t be happier about RJ,” Paton concluded.
Add it all up and it sounds like the Broncos aren’t as desperate to add to the running back room as some people thought.