Jonah Coleman Emerging as Broncos' Early Rookie Standout at Minicamp

Jonah Coleman is NFL-ready.

Not that there was much doubt about Coleman's NFL readiness before the 2026 NFL draft. It was one of the factors that drew the Denver Broncos to him, resulting in his selection at No. 108 overall in the fourth round.

Since arriving in Denver back in May, Coleman has been as advertised. Over the past week-and-a-half, though, we've had a chance to see him in action in four Broncos practices open to the media.

OTAs are one thing; mandatory minicamp is a step up, structured more to resemble a training camp format, minus the full pads and contact. Coleman looked just as good in the Broncos' two minicamp practices this week.

On Day 1, the rookie running back made some nice runs during team period, and in a red-zone drill, he caught a Jarrett Stidham pass in the flat, and ran it in for a touchdown. Coleman is looking like a plug-and-play draft pick who has hit the ground running.

Any time Sean Payton has been asked about Coleman since rookie minicamp, he has responded with "good" by way of a progress report. It's a little tougher to get a read on running backs in a non-contact setting, but Coleman has found ways to pop nonetheless.

“He had a good rookie camp," Payton said of Coleman back on June 4. "He’s put together well. There are some positions I think that are a little bit more difficult to evaluate. Ultimately, with him as a runner, they have to tackle you, but he’s all football.”

Payton canceled the Broncos' third and final minicamp practice, so the offseason training program is officially in the books. The team has to be feeling pretty good about its fourth-round running back entering the long six-week NFL summer.

Running Back Depth Chart

When the Broncos reconvene for training camp in late July, Coleman will be looking to pick up where he left off. With J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey at the top of the running back depth chart, Coleman projects as the No. 3 guy, but it will be interesting to see what Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie have to say about that.

Cody Schrader is also competing for a roster spot at running back. And as it applies to roster math, we have to keep fullback Adam Prentice very much front-of-brain, as he cemented himself as a Payton guy last season, and has looked excellent in minicamp this week.

RBs at work 💪 pic.twitter.com/MvlBuJtIH9
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 16, 2026

The top three running back spots are set: Dobbins, Harvey, and Coleman. Coleman has already stylized it as a "three-headed monster."

Will the Broncos carry four running backs plus a fullback? Or will it be three running backs plus Prentice?

Coleman is already a complete back, so even though it would run counter to Broncos tradition, it wouldn't be a complete shock if they did keep only three true running backs plus a fullback. Then again, knowing Dobbins's injury history and the recent revelation that Harvey had shoulder surgery this offseason, the Broncos would be wise to keep a fourth running back on the active roster, even if he doesn't often dress.

The Takeaway

Coleman definitely gives the Broncos some flexibility in that regard, though. It'll be fun to see how it all comes together, but Broncos Country should feel justified in its excitement for the rookie running back.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google