Broncos bring back an important piece to help them get over the hump in hopes of reaching the Super Bowl in latest mock
The Denver Broncos need to bring him back.
The Denver Broncos have some work to do ahead of the 2026 season. It’s going to be a busy offseason for Denver, which came up just short of reaching a Super Bowl. Remember early on in the 2025 season when head coach Sean Payton said that this team has what it takes to go to the Super Bowl, and he was mocked endlessly for it? I firmly believe the Broncos were Bo Nix away from playing in the big game, a disastrous injury that couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Denver is coming off a season where they finished No. 1 in the AFC and made waves across the league with their dominant performance. Nix was magical in the fourth quarter, and the team just kept finding ways to win. Now, the focus is on the offseason and how they can build and grow.
While some things need to change, we’re hoping that some things stay the same. That’s exactly what happened in A to Z Sports’ most recent free agent running back mock, where Denver is named as a top landing spot for running back J.K. Dobbins.
J.K Dobbins back to Denver as a top landing spot in latest mock
“Dobbins was cruising toward the best year of his career before a Lisfranc injury ended his season in Week 10. He’s a perfect fit for Sean Payton’s run game, and it showed.
“It’s literally injuries holding Dobbins back from being labeled as a premiere running back in free agency. But when healthy, he can really impact a rushing attack with his strength, speed, and vision. It’d be a major risk, and frankly stupid, to trust him as the No. 1 option for anyone’s ground game, but he’s an excellent rotational piece that would force defenses to always respect who’s behind the quarterback.
“Plus, it’s all about management load with Dobbins at this point in his caree,r and sharing carries helps in that regard.” – Evan Winter, A to Z Sports Tampa Bay
In the mock, A to Z also has the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints as potential fits and ranks Dobbins as No. 92 in the top-100 free agents.
According to Over The Cap, Dobbins has an estimated valuation of $1.9 million, which the Broncos could easily take on as they are near the top third of the league in available cap space. Sitting at just under $29 million in available funds, Dobbins would be a low-risk, high-reward type of move to bring him back into the fold to pair with RJ Harvey. The two-headed monster in Denver was electric until Dobbins went down with an injury, and they should absolutely look to bring him back.
J.K. Dobbins performed exceptionally before his injury
Dobbins, at one point in the season, was sitting around the top-five in the NFL in terms of total yards and has been vocal on more than one occasion about his love for the Broncos and how he wants to stay with the organization. He loves Broncos Country, and Broncos Country loves him.
The role might shift a bit if Dobbins were to return, with Harvey getting the bulk of the carries and Dobbins filling in as more of a rotational role. Think of it as the exact opposite of how they were utilized in the 2025 season.
Dobbins finished his season with the Broncos with 153 carries for 772 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. He was easily on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark and was looking every bit like a true No. 1 running back in the league. Unfortunately, injury struck and ended his season prematurely.
If the Broncos truly believe their Super Bowl window is wide open, and they should, then this is the kind of move contenders make. It’s smart, calculated, and forward-thinking.
You don’t bring Dobbins back to be the savior; you bring him back to keep the engine humming. You bring him back because when he’s healthy, he changes the math for defenses. And you bring him back because you already saw what the offense looks like when he and Harvey are rolling together.
Denver was inches away from the big game. Running it back with a healthy Nix and a refreshed, properly managed Dobbins could be the difference between “almost” and “AFC champions.”
Low risk. Massive upside.
For a team that just proved it belongs at the top of the conference, it’s a gamble worth taking.
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