Denver Broncos’ key veteran returning for the 2026 season gets strong pushback from ESPN
The Denver Broncos elected to bring back a veteran offensive playmaker, which is a move that’s being looked down on by ESPN.
The Denver Broncos were one of the biggest surprise teams in 2025 by winning the AFC West and finishing with a 14-3 record. Denver had a strong offseason the last few months and should be in the mix to be one of the AFC’s best teams.
Trading for Jaylen Waddle was the splash move the Broncos made and it should help their offense reach a new level. Still, the Broncos are going to need a run game to help out QB Bo Nix, and they’re hoping a tough injury doesn’t hurt their running back room again in 2026.
ESPN dislikes one of the Denver Broncos’ offseason resignings
Running back J.K. Dobbins was a stud player for Denver last year through 10 games, then a foot injury derailed his season. It’s been a common occurrence in his NFL career since he was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Seth Walder named the move of bringing back Dobbins as the one he disliked the most for Denver this offseason.
“Denver released Dre Greenlaw but brought back fellow linebackers Singleton and Strnad on very reasonable terms ($7.5 million and $6 million per year, respectively),” Walder wrote. “The team also re-signed Dobbins on a two-year, $16 million contract with $8 million guaranteed –an overpay for an injury-prone 27-year-old back.”
Dobbins had 772 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in just 10 games last season. When the veteran running back has been on the field, he’s looked like a top-10 back in the NFL. As always, the issue has been the injuries and they’ve piled up for the 27-year-old running back.
J.K. Dobbins has a message for what’s coming in 2026
Dobbins is on a two-year deal with the Broncos, which was a good contract for him with all of the injuries he’s had. The Broncos’ starting running back was fifth in the NFL in rushing when he was injured last year, and he plans to hit the ground running this year.
“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. And there won’t be any injuries,” Dobbins said recently, via Luca Evans of The Denver Post.
A healthy Dobbins levels up the Broncos offense and they need him running hard if they’re going to be at their best. If Dobbins can dodge injury in 2026, Walder’s dislike of the move will look a bit silly.