How Close Broncos Came to Acquiring RB Tony Pollard Before Deadline

Jonathan Taylor wasn't the only running back who interested the Denver Broncos prior to Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that Denver "checked in on" Titans RB Tony Pollard but were rebuffed by Tennessee's apparent price tag of "anything less" than a third-round draft pick.

"The Packers and Broncos checked in on Titans running back Tony Pollard, whom Tennessee would not have traded for anything less than a third-round pick," the report stated.

This tracks with what league insider Jordan Schultz previously reported -- that the Broncos (and New York Giants) were among the teams in the short-lived Pollard sweepstakes.

"But Tennessee was adamant for weeks that they were unlikely to move him, as he’s been vital to the locker room and the continued development of Cam Ward," Schultz wrote on X on Nov. 10.

A prototypical dual-threat back, Pollard has accounted for 665 yards from scrimmage (595 rushing yards, 4.5 yards per carry) and six total touchdowns (all on the ground) across eight appearances this season.

Pollard was among several NFL RBs who were viewed as potential trade candidates prior to the deadline, along with Taylor, the Jets' Breece Hall, the Eagles' Saquon Barkley, and the Ravens' Derrick Henry. In the end, none of these players were moved by their original clubs.

How Broncos Move Forward at RB

It's clear that Denver was seeking an upgrade to pair with ascending rookie Jonah Coleman and pass-catching extraordinaire RJ Harvey. What's more, had they acquired Taylor or Pollard, the Broncos likely would've made veteran J.K. Dobbins available for trade.

Obviously, none of that transpired, and the club now heads into the second half of its 2026 campaign with the status quo at the position: Coleman and Dobbins on early downs, with Harvey seeing extensive third-down opportunities once he returns from injured reserve.

The Broncos will hope the trio can find their collective groove following a less-than-impressive statistical start prior to the bye. Entering Week 10, the rushing offense ranks 29th in yards per carry per game and 27th in total yards per game.

"Those runners are going to be important," head coach Sean Payton said after last Sunday's victory over the Panthers. "I'm not going to answer running-back depth questions, and certainly our running backs are not going to sit in front of a 15-minute interview about their playing time. Man, those guys are really important. [Running backs] J.K. [Dobbins] played, Jonah [Coleman] played, RJ [Harvey] will be back here shortly, and I'm glad we got both of them. I didn't feel like we ran it particularly well with either of them, and it wasn't back driven. It was ‘Oh, that was a Buffalo front.’ Like, it took us a minute. And now, we threw it better for chunk plays than we ran it, but we got the runs when we needed it later."

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