Denver Broncos 2026 training camp position battle to watch

NFL teams have wrapped up their respective organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps, and after a near month-long break, they’ll pick things back up near the end of July for training camp.

The first preseason game takes place on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC when the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals face off in the Hall of Fame Game. The rest of the preseason’s first week will take place from Aug. 13-15, followed by Week 2 on Aug. 20-23, and Week 3 on Aug. 27-29.

But before the preseason gets underway, teams must first report to training camp. The Denver Broncos haven’t announced the exact day they report to camp, but below is their biggest position battle to watch this summer.

Position Battle: RB | J.K. Dobbins vs. R.J. Harvey

J.K. Dobbins is one of the most snake-bitten players in recent memory when it comes to injuries.

The 27-year-old RB missed all of the 2021 season, nine games in 2022, 16 games in 2023, four games in 2024, and seven games last season due to ACL, knee, Achilles, MCL, and Lisfranc injuries, respectively.

But he’s hit double-digit games each of the last two seasons, and he’s proven when he’s healthy, he’s a difference-maker. Dobbins rushed for a career-high 905 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024, and he totaled 772 yards and four scores last year before his season-ending foot injury.

So if he’s 100% healthy to start the year, there’s no reason why Dobbins shouldn’t get the lion’s share of touches in the Broncos backfield.

However, R.J. Harvey really came on strong toward the end of last season in relief of Dobbins, and his breakout performance is why this is even a competition in the first place.

Harvey rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns while adding another 356 yards receiving and five touchdowns on 47 receptions as a rookie, which is why Dobbins isn’t entering camp as the presumed RB1.

Both players are potential home-run threats out of the backfield, and they’re both effective in the pass game. Perhaps the answer for Denver isn’t to have a true RB1 but to employ more of a 1A-1B situation, that way neither is being ran into the ground.

Either way, watching Dobbins and Harvey compete in camp will be a treat for Broncos fans.