The One 2026 Free Agent Broncos Can’t Afford to Lose

The Denver Broncos' future outlook would be much brighter with him in the fold.

Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton leads his film on to the field for the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

During their Week 12 bye, the Denver Broncos took the opportunity to negotiate with and re-sign a trio of players, including kicker Wil Lutz, center Luke Wattenberg, and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach. That removed three names from the Broncos' long list of players on expiring contracts.

The Broncos have some big decisions to make in the offseason. The future of the linebacker position is a bit cloudy with both Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad poised for unrestricted free agency.

Dobbins, No Matter What

Of all their free agents, though, there's one player the Broncos should bring back — no matter what. That player is running back J.K. Dobbins.

The way Dobbins' season ended was tragic, as he had been the cornerstone upon which Sean Payton's offense was built this season. Dobbins' 772 rushing yards ranked in the top five when he suffered that foot injury in Week 10, and the Broncos' run game has steadily declined since he hit injured reserve.

Now, last week, RJ Harvey rushed for 75 yards, giving us a much-needed shot of encouragement for this team's ground attack down the stretch. And it could be that, between now and next season, the Broncos' sheer need for Harvey to carry the load as the No. 1 running back serves as an accelerator of sorts.

Even if Harvey turns a corner this year, and proves he can carry the load at running back if need be, the Broncos would be wise to re-sign Dobbins. You may ask: Why should Dobbins take precedence over guys like Singleton or defensive end John Frankllin-Myers?

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

No Internal Replacements

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The answer is that Denver doesn't have anyone waiting in the wings to replace Dobbins. The Broncos have options behind Singleton and Franklin-Myers, including Drew Sanders at linebacker and 2025 third-rounder Sai'vion Jones at defensive end.

Even the aforementioned Roach could step in as a starter for Franklin-Myers if Jones doesn't show enough development between now and next season. Now, I'll grant you that Sanders isn't exactly a proven option, and he's had some terrible injury luck over the past two years, but the Broncos have been adamant publicly in their belief that he's a future starter.

Harvey could blossom into a bona fide RB1, but the Broncos still need another guy. Payton prefers a one-two punch at running back, and let's face it: the Broncos' offense would be much better off with a Dobbins/Harvey duo than a Harvey/Jaleel McLaughlin tandem.

Still Young

The other component here is Dobbins' age. Even though he's been in the league since 2020, he's only 26 right now (birthday on December 17), which means he'll be 27 for most of the 2026 campaign. He's still got a few years left in the tank. Singleton, meanwhile, just turned 32, while Franklin-Myers will be 30 next season.

Why shouldn't the Broncos be the team with whom Dobbins spends what remains of his 20s? Before his injury, he made it clear that he wants to stay in Denver for the duration of his career.

The injury bug may have complicated the possibility of that happening, but it certainly shouldn't eliminate it. The Broncos knew going in that Dobbins is injury-prone, but he's also remarkably productive when healthy.

More Than Denver Bargained For

The Broncos expected Dobbins to be impactful as a ball-carrier, but they weren't anticipating his impact as a leader, or his contributions to the type of locker-room culture Payton is trying to cultivate. With a Dobbins/Harvey ticket for the next two or three years, the Broncos' ground game would be solidified with a versatile and dynamic room, giving Bo Nix a tremendous foundation to continue building on.

There are other running backs out there, sure. But the Broncos will be hard-pressed to find one as reliable, consistent, and productive as the guy who, just weeks before getting injured, professed publicly his desire to play out his career in Denver, and who was among the NFL's top individual rushers.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, it's better to have and not need than to need and not have. The Broncos have felt the wrong end of that equation since Dobbins went down in Week 10 (injured on an illegal tackle, by the way).

Any future contract would obviously have to be structured to protect the Broncos from Dobbins' susceptibility to the injury bug. But he could likely be re-signed at a relatively team-friendly level, keeping him in the fold as a key cog of what Payton is building in the Mile High City.

Despite the injury concerns, Dobbins should be the top priority for the Broncos to re-sign in 2026.