As expected, the Denver Broncos have officially designated rookie running back Jonah Coleman to return from short-term injured reserve—potentially as early as Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Coleman, placed on IR with an ankle injury following Week 2, was listed as a full practice participant on the team's initial Week 7 status report, along with cornerback Riley Moss (ribs).
The Broncos now have 21 days to activate Coleman to the 53-man roster, for which they'll need to make a corresponding transaction.
The 108th overall pick of this year's draft, Coleman impressed during his limited appearances earlier this season, converting 10 carries into 39 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 19 yards prior to going down amid Denver's Sept. 20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“He played well," head coach Sean Payton said after the Jaguars game. "Then the very end, that last carry was… We work on four-minute [situations], but that certainly didn’t feel like a rookie series, if you will. He came up big, and we needed it. You carry three [running backs] on gameday like everyone else. We were down to two and the fullback. Those guys did a good job, and then we found a couple schemes that we liked and stayed with it. His play right at the end, staying in bounds, that was something you cover, but maybe he doesn’t get those same reps in practice. He did a good job.”
Coleman's Return a Major Boon for Denver's Offense
To say there's concern about the Broncos' barely-there rushing attack would be a massive understatement.
Veteran starter J.K. Dobbins has been utterly ineffective, posting a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry across the first six games of the year. RJ Harvey is a dependable pass-catcher out of the backfield, but hardly a workhorse runner. Tyler Badie did not practice Wednesday due to a thumb issue.
As a collective, the Broncos rank 26th in rushing offense, averaging a meager 84.2 yards per game.
Enter Coleman, who should suit up in Arizona and immediately contribute to what could be a ground-oriented game plan versus a susceptible defense, mixing in with (and potentially usurping) Dobbins on early downs before giving way to Harvey in passing situations.
"We think it's a deep room, a talented room," Payton said Wednesday regarding Coleman's return. "So all those things are a positive."
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