Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Late-round rookie Jonah Coleman is creating unexpected buzz at Broncos training camp this summer.
- His college production and pass-blocking skills make him a potential insurance policy for an injury-prone backfield.
- The Broncos' elite run-blocking unit could help Coleman carve out a meaningful role before the season opener.
There are four certainties in life: death, taxes, additional taxes you forgot about and a rookie running back you’ve never heard of making waves in training camp.
Denver Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman is the latest in a long and triumphant list of later-round running backs that pop up out of nowhere and make you rethink your fantasy football draft strategy in late July/early August. Here’s the definitive list, in reverse chronological order of the last five years: Coleman this year, Jacory Croskey-Merritt (honorable mention: Bhayshul Tuten) in 2025, Braelon Allen in 2024, Tyjae Spears for 2023, and the mother-of-all hype trains in 2022: Dameon Pierce.
Jonah Coleman is the latest in a long tradition of running back training camp hype
It’s not always the most reliable type of story, and every year there are yet more running backs you don’t even hear about in camp that come in and make things happen: Kyle Monangai, Tyrone Tracy, heck I still have some Chase Edmonds stock from my 2018 fantasy draft. But Coleman is the latest, so we should probably at least get to know the guy.
Coleman is drafted in the fourth round by a Denver Broncos team that already looked filled out at the running back spot; J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin was a solid-enough setup. But to say Dobbins’ health is a question mark is what we in the biz call an understatement and while Harvey looked good toward the end of last year I’m not sure he profiles as any type of three-down back. Coleman, meanwhile, profiles like that kind of player who excels both in pass protection and as a true runner. At Washington, he led the Big Ten with 17 touchdowns as a senior and was a major player in the passing game because he could block.
Coleman sat down with Sports Illustrated before the draft and offered some insight into how he sees his game, and he essentially earmarked everything a running back should do (pass block, run between the tackles, bring speed on the outside) and said that it’s his priority to do it. With how productive Coleman was in college, I don’t doubt he has the capability to be an NFL running back. But Coleman’s versatility is probably best served because of the system he’s walking into rather than his physical tools, which all the hype in the world can’t change.
Coleman is walking into an excellent situation for his skillset
The Broncos were elite in run blocking last season, posting a fourth-best 74 percent run block win rate (RBWR). It’s counterintuitive, but RBWR is extremely important to team rushing success — perhaps even more so than who the running back is. Coleman is walking into a seasoned and experienced group who will be able to maximize his strengths and cover for his weaknesses.
Coleman was a three-down back in college, and Lance Zierlein at NFL.com wrote how “Coleman has a clear understanding of run-blocking schemes and protection duties. He knows where blocks are likely to develop and finds those spots,” a trait that helps explain his touchdown prowess. But I’m skeptical that his below-average speed will make him an elite NFL starter … and so is everyone else. There’s a reason he went in the fourth round.
But the Broncos don’t need him to be a three-down back, they just need him to be a three-down option if they need him and to pass protect better than his true runner peers. Being able to block is one of the purest paths to a long career as an NFL running back, and so Coleman has a real shot to make an immediate impact. It’s not as fun as saying, “he could be a workhorse right now,” but it’s far more realistic.
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