Despite suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 10 after a win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 6, J.K. Dobbins leads the Denver Broncos in rushing yards this season. Rookie RJ Harvey has taken the role of the Broncos’ starting running back ever since Dobbins’ injury and has done quite well.
Broncos RB RJ Harvey Is Filling A Big Role In His Rookie Season
Exceptional on the Ground and Through the Air
The running back the Broncos drafted 60th overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of UCF has rushed for 512 yards so far. Harvey has also contributed to the pass game, catching 46 receptions for 351 yards in 16 games this season.
Former Broncos running back Javonte Williams, who now plays for the Dallas Cowboys, initially held the record for most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a rookie running back during the 2021 season.
Harvey was able to surpass Williams this season in all categories when it comes to having the most receiving yards as a rookie running back in franchise history. On average, each reception Harvey has caught this season has been for 7.6 yards, compared to Williams’ average of 7.3 yards.
Been Hungry All Season And Finding the End Zone
Harvey has scored 12 offensive touchdowns as a rookie, the most among all rookie running backs drafted in 2025 and the third-most by a rookie running back in team history.
Seven of Harvey’s touchdowns are rushing touchdowns, while he has scored five receiving touchdowns. Harvey scored more total touchdowns as a rookie than Phillip Lindsay and Jon Keyworth, and trails only Mike Anderson and Clinton Portis in this statistic in Broncos history.
In week 8 against the Cowboys, Harvey finished the game with three total touchdowns, making him the fifth running back in team history and the first Broncos running back since Portis did in 2002 to score at least three overall touchdowns in a game as a rookie.
One More to Make History
One touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers is all Harvey needs to tie running back Mike Bell for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in team history. 72 points is how many Harvey has scored for the Broncos this season, more than Courtland Sutton has. Kicker Will Lutz is the only player ahead of Harvey in this category.
Denver’s offense needs to approach the rest of the season with a mindset of balancing things. How efficiently the offense runs the ball is just as important as how well it passes. The Broncos are going to need Harvey to continue playing well if they want to win on Sunday and have a shot at being a true playoff contender.