Broncos GM Reveals Stance on Bringing Back J.K. Dobbins

The Denver Broncos have a big decision to make at running back this offseason. With RJ Harvey the only running back currently under contract for 2026, the Broncos need to make some moves.

When it comes to soon-to-be free agent J.K. Dobbins, Broncos GM George Paton told 9NEWS' Mike Klis at the NFL Combine that he wants to bring Dobbins back.

“We would. J.K. was really good for us,’’ Paton told Klis. “Played 10 games and he was the third or fifth leading rusher. Happy with J.K. He’s a free agent, we’d like to have him back."

Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and six touchdowns through 10 games last season, and while he ended up on injured reserve from Week 11 on, he could have some serious suitors on the free-agent market. However, after the season ended, Dobbins revealed from his locker, as he cleaned it out, that he believes he'll be back, and that he wants to be a "Bronco for life."

Still, the Broncos have to be ready for a contigency, just in case.

“And RJ had a really good year, probably better than we anticipated for a rookie," Paton told Klis. "So we’ll look there and if we don’t get J.K., we’re looking at the market.”

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A Big Hit in Denver

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) after the game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

During his end-of-season press conference in January, Paton said that Dobbins was "a big hit here." Going back to early last fall, head coach Sean Payton shared his pleasant surprise over Dobbins bringing a team-captain-level leadership impact to the Broncos on top of his top-shelf production on the field.

The problem is, how do you pay a back like Dobbins, who's never played an entire NFL season. When he's healthy and on the field, he's one of the best running backs in the league, but the only thing you can count on besides that is that he will miss time.

A 2020 second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbins is only 27 years old. That could make him more valuable on the open market; then again, he languished as a free agent last season until late June when the Broncos swooped him up.

It's good that Denver is "looking at the market," because even if Paton is able to get Dobbins re-signed, the Broncos could use one more proven back to complement Harvey, in the probable event that Dobbins misses time again.

Running backs like Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, and Tyler Allgeier are very attractive options about to hit the free-agent market, but they'd cost a pretty penny to sign. The Broncos could also bring Dobbins back and bolster the room additionally by drafting a running back, like, say, Notre Dame's Jadarian Price.

However it shakes out, we know that Dobbins wants to come back and Paton is sharing a brain with the young veteran. Signing him to a front-loaded two-year deal that would allow the Broncos some freedom to move on after the 2026 season would be ideal.

The new league year and free agency opens up on March 11. The legal-tampering window opens on March 9, so the we're not too far out.

The NFL Combine marches on apace, but Paton would be wise to find Dobbins's agent in Indianapolis and get cracking on what it will take to keep Dobbins in the fold.