Pro Football Rumors
The Broncos agreed to re-sign running back J.K. Dobbins to a two-year, $16MM contract on the first day of the negotiating period in March, but they almost lost him to another AFC contender in free agency. The Jaguars and Dobbins essentially had a “done” deal before he re-upped with the Broncos, a source told Luca Evans of the Denver Post. It is unclear why it fell apart.
The Broncos turned back to Dobbins after nearly landing ex-Jaguar Travis Etienne, who joined the Saints on a four-year, $48MM agreement. Denver was reportedly “shocked” it did not reel in Etienne. Meanwhile, after losing Etienne and seeing Dobbins stick with the Broncos, the Jaguars made less pricey investments in their backfield. They added former Commander Chris Rodriguez on a two-year, $10MM accord and signed 33-year-old Ameer Abdullah for the league minimum.
Etienne turned in his second 1,100-yard rushing campaign in 2025 and scored 13 touchdowns (seven on the ground, six as a receiver), helping the Jaguars to a massive one-year turnaround. After going 4-13 in 2024, they rattled off 13 wins and earned an AFC South crown in head coach Liam Coen‘s first year at the helm.
The onus will be on the offensive-minded Coen and coordinator Grant Udinski to piece together an effective running game without Etienne in 2026. Rodriguez, who is recovering from foot surgery, will join the second-year duo of Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen as the Jags’ main choices at the position. After selecting Tuten in the fourth round and Allen in the seventh in 2025, general manager James Gladstone did not address running back with any of his 10 picks in this year’s draft.
As for Dobbins, the Broncos will hope he stays healthy as they vie for their second straight AFC West title and push for a Super Bowl. The 27-year-old has averaged a superb 5.2 yards per carry since he entered the NFL as the Ravens’ second-round pick in 2020, but various injuries have undermined him. Outside of a 15-game rookie season, Dobbins has missed significant time every year, having totaled just 32 of a possible 85 appearances since 2021.
Dobbins piled up 772 yards on 153 attempts (5.0 YPC) in 2025, his debut campaign with the Broncos, but a Week 10 Lisfranc injury ended his season. While the Broncos still managed an AFC-best 14 wins and advanced to the conference title game, their running game took a hit without Dobbins. They have since picked up rookie fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman to join Dobbins and 2025 second-rounder RJ Harvey as their top backfield options.
