The Denver Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins on Tuesday afternoon.

The veteran running back visited the Mile High City last week but left without a deal.

But the Broncos landed their guy as the transformation of the offense looks to be complete for this offseason.

Denver Broncos sign J.K. Dobbins to share workload with R.J. Harvey

The Denver Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins on Tuesday afternoon to a one-year, $5.25 million deal according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

The deal gives the Broncos yet another “joker” as head coach Sean Payton called it in the leadup to Super Bowl LIX.

Payton specified a “joker” in his offense needs to have exceptional hands when he’s thrown the ball. Denver inked a deal with tight end Evan Engram this spring, and then drafted running back R.J. Harvey in the second round in late April.

Now, the Denver Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins, a third playmaker to join the offense this offseason.

Dobbins is a four-year veteran and only 26 years old. He was a solid backup running back for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, when he ran for 805 yards and 9 touchdowns. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn knee, and then injured his other knee in 2022, missing eight games. Then, Dobbins injured his Achilles in 2023, playing in only one contest.

But he bounced back brilliantly in 2024, playing as the featured back for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Dobbins ran for a career-high 905 yards and 9 touchdowns, and also caught a career-high 32 passes for 153 yards.

That was in 13 games, as he suffered a sprained MCL in Week 12.

How do Harvey and Dobbins compliment each other?

When the Broncos drafted R.J. Harvey in the second round, it was a bit of a reach. He was given the grade of “average backup” and was supposed to go in the third or fourth round.

But Denver took him and folks started wondering if it’s because he has a similar makeup to Alvin Kamara.

At 5’8″ and 205 pounds, Harvey is a somewhat similar build to Kamara (5’10”, 214 pounds) but the Broncos back is faster. He ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is speed the Broncos haven’t had in, well, maybe ever.

Now that Denver signed Dobbins, it looks like Harvey will be the lightning to Dobbins’ thunder.

The newest back has proven power at the goal line and will be able to push through the pile for touchdowns. Meanwhile, it seems likely that Harvey will be used more on outside runs and screens to get him into space and use that explosive ability.

It’s unknown which back will be deemed the starter when 2025 kicks off, but one guesses it will be Dobbins. He’s a three-down back who averaged 4.6 yards per carry last year for the Chargers.

That’s not to say Harvey won’t get his touches. Denver took him so high in the draft, they’ll have to utilize him and see what he can do on Sundays, not just in practice.

Ultimately, no matter who is the starter, both backs should rack up multiple carries and will make the Broncos offense deadlier than last year.