The Denver Broncos have a lethal defense; there is no question that they can win games on that side of the field. Coach Sean Payton needs his weapons to step up so that they can get closer to a Super Bowl berth for the 2026 NFL season. One aspect that they hope to change is their running game; RJ Harvey will be crucial in a hopeful uptick in their rushing production. He knows this and wants to emulate Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Kenneth Walker.
Broncos' Harvey wants to have McCaffrey and Gibbs-like second-year leap
RJ Harvey became a dependable staple in Coach Sean Payton's running game as the 2025 NFL season progressed. The then-rookie running back played in 17 games and even started in seven of those fixtures. His production totaled to a fair 540 rushing yards on 146 carries. He also had seven rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns to help the Broncos offense.
Harvey hopes to have a bigger role in the Broncos' offense moving forward. The key? It's to show Coach Payton that he is more than capable of playing alongside and equaling JK Dobbins' rushing output. That's exactly what the Broncos' young gun wants. He even went on to name Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Kenneth Walker as his on-field inspirations, via Mason Denver of 104.3 The Fan.
"Just watching more film, watching other guys around the league, watching their film. Watching a lot of film of Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker, Jahmyr Gibbs, guys like that. Just trying to see things that they do on film, trying to help better my game. In Year 2 in the system, I feel way more comfortable, and it's only going to get better from where I left off at," the Broncos running back declared.
The Broncos only managed to produce 2,018 rushing yards, which ranked 17th in all of the NFL. These numbers off Coach Payton's rushing game do get better when the yards per carry are looked at. The Broncos got 4.4 yards per carry; this was good for 13th in all of the league.
If Harvey does make a jump to start emulating McCaffrey, Walker, and Gibbs, the Broncos could start looking at a total of at least 2,200 rushing yards for the 2026 NFL season. This would put them alongside astounding running offenses like the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and Washington Commanders.
Will Harvey deliver?
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