The Denver Broncos could see significant change at the running back position in 2026.
J.K. Dobbins is a pending free agent and the team has already decided not to tender Jaleel McLaughlin, which means he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent like Dobbins.
If Dobbins doesn’t return, the Broncos will need at least a semi-significant addition to help out RJ Harvey, so we would expect Denver to be active in the free-agent market while looking for a veteran.
A dream scenario would be the Broncos getting their hands on New York Jets running back and pending free agent, Breece Hall, who would give Denver an electric one-two punch when combined with Harvey.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Hall is going to hit the free-agent market, with the Jets expected to slap the franchise tag on him. However, in the event that doesn’t happen, keep an eye on Hall to Denver.
We say that because The Denver Post’s Luca Evans reports that Hall has serious interest in joining the Broncos.
He didn’t say if the feeling was mutual, but it’s logical to assume the Broncos would have interest in a player who is widely viewed as the best pending free-agent running back.
“If Hall manages to hit free agency, though — watch out for Denver. The former Iowa State RB has a pre-existing relationship with Broncos running backs coach Lou Ayeni from Hall’s recruiting process in high school, when Ayeni was Iowa State’s RBs coach,” Evans wrote.
“And a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post this week that Hall has plenty of interest in joining the Broncos,” he reported.
Even if the Jets tag Hall, there are a few avenues the Broncos can take to snatch him away, but one would be particularly costly.
If the Jets use the $11.3 million transition tag on Hall, which has been reported as a possible path for New York, the Broncos can still make the running back an offer
It would be a similar situation with the non-exclusive franchise tag in that Denver can negotiate with Hall, but in that case the Broncos would have to give up two first-round picks if the Jets don’t match the offer.
We suspect the Broncos won’t be keen on doing what it takes to wrangle Hall away via the latter approach, but we would not rule out Denver making an aggressive push if Hall gets the transition tag.
