Payton Drops New Superlative When Describing Rookie RB Jonah Coleman

The Denver Broncos are excited about their rookie running back. Drafted early in the fourth round, Jonah Coleman seemingly willed himself to Denver.

In truth, he may have wished he had heard his name called earlier, but Coleman wanted to be a Bronco. His pre-draft meetings with the team, including a top-30 visit, established an early bond with Sean Payton and the coaches, and he hoped he would be drafted by the Broncos.

Fast forward six weeks or so from the draft, and it's so far, so good for Coleman. Payton was pleased with Coleman's condition when he reported for Broncos rookie minicamp in mid-May, and while the nature of the offseason training program and its non-contact format make it a bit harder to shine as a running back, the rookie has checked every box so far.

When asked for his early impression of Coleman last Thursday, Payton said, "Good," using a new superlative to describe his rookie running back.

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

From an intangible perspective, Payton said it like a new superlative: "He's all football." Coleman lives and breathes football, and has used it as a vehicle to escape an unfortunate upbringing and make a successful life for himself. For this reason and more, football is everything to him.

An Eye on His Weight

Jonah Coleman. — Denver Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman runs during an OTA pracitce. | Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos

Coleman's conditioning will continue to be a factor as the NFL summer unfolds. His weight fluctuations were one reason he fell as far as he did in the draft. Most draftniks had him as a Day 2 talent.

That, and Coleman's 40 time isn't the fastest, but he makes up for it with excellent vision, burst, power, and a wicked jump-cut. He also has a well-developed third-down skill set, which is rare for a rookie, but it should give him more bites at the apple in 2026.

These are the types of players the Broncos look for.

For these reasons and more, it's crucial for Coleman to keep his weight in check. After his junior year at Washington, he ballooned up to 236 pounds, which, again, was a concern for NFL teams a year later when he was entering the draft.

Up to this point, though, Coleman has shown that he is taking that aspect of his life as a pro with the utmost seriousness. It's not something the Broncos are going to worry about, for now, so long as he continues to make it a non-issue.

Depth Chart Outlook

As a rookie, Coleman will start lower on the running back depth chart, but Payton has him earmarked as the Broncos' No. 3 guy behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Coleman himself has previewed the Broncos' new running back committee as a "three-headed monster," and it's an apt moniker.

Coleman gives the Broncos some true insurance against another unfortunate Dobbins injury. Harvey did the best he could, filling in for Dobbins as the Broncos' RB1 down the stretch last season, but he's not a grinder.

Coleman is. He can attack the defense as a powerful between-the-tackles runner, and keep the offense on schedule when his number is called. Utilizing Coleman as Dobbins's primary backup will also allow the Broncos to keep Harvey in his specialized "Joker" role as the change-of-pace, pass-catching weapon out of the backfield.

It's going to be fun to see how this running back room takes shape as the summer progresses. We already know what the Broncos have in Dobbins — a top-10 running back when healthy — but Harvey has the chance to take some big steps in Year 2, while Coleman will be looking to make a good first impression when the cleats hit the grass in September.

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