Mac Jones opens up after his injury against the Rams, vowing to come back stronger and lead the 49ers to success.

The Denver Broncos have gotten strong early returns from running back J.K. Dobbins, but that does not mean much has changed about the veteran’s future with the franchise.

Dobbins is the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher despite a 23-carry gap between him and the No. 1 spot. He is tied for the fourth-best yards per attempt mark (5.7) and in rushing touchdowns with 3 entering “Thursday Night Football.”

This is not to suggest the situation cannot change, but Dobbins has more work to do.

J.K. Dobbins Not Broncos Extension Candidate Yet

The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel fielded a question from one fan about Dobbins’ chances of receiving an extension from the Broncos. The No. 55 overall pick of the 2020 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbins spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Broncos in free agency this past offseason.

Gabriel noted that Dobbins has “been a terrific addition,” and his efficiency proves the Broncos were right to upgrade the room. However, there are good reasons to hold off on an extension.

“Dobbins … brings energy and leadership, and he’s got a terrific combination of patience and decisiveness once he sees what he wants to do,” Gabriel wrote on October 2. “As for re-signing him, he looks and feels like a candidate right now, but let’s give it three months before getting to that kind of thought process. There’s just not much reason to go down that road at this point.

“The reality is he hasn’t played more than 13 games since his rookie season, and he’s coming off a 2024 campaign in which he set a new high-water mark with 227 combined touches. Through four games, he’s on pace for 263 this season.”

Dobbins is up to 323 yards and 3 TDs on 57 rushing attempts through four games.

He has another 18 yards on five receptions, which underscores another aspect of his future with the Broncos.

Rookie a Threat to J.K. Dobbins’ Future With Broncos

Dobbins’ performance is just one factor the Broncos must weigh regarding their starting tailback’s future. Gabriel noted the veteran says he feels healthy. Part of keeping him that way is ensuring rookie second-round pick RJ Harvey remains involved.

“For all the talk about the 100-yard streak ending, the 186 total yards and tweak [Broncos head coach Sean] Payton made to get Dobbins and rookie R.J. Harvey more consecutive snaps between substitutions, there’s another element here that is worth mentioning,” Gabriel wrote. “That’s that Harvey ended up with 33 snaps compared to Dobbins’ 36 — the most even workload split between the two this season,” Gabriel wrote.

“That’s important not just because of the change in the usage sequencing Payton and players talked about Monday night, but because of the actual workloads at play.”

Harvey broke out with 98 yards and 1 TD on 18 touches in Week 3 on “Monday Night Football.”

“Harvey, of course, has his own developmental track and sizable expectations,” Gabriel wrote. “His ability to earn and maintain the kind of trust that leads to a relatively even workload going forward is important as it pertains to keeping Dobbins fresh, too.”

J.K. Dobbins Gets Honest About RJ Harvey

Rather than bristle at the Broncos’ plans for Harvey, which will continue to eat into his workload, Dobbins has praised the rookie and touted what he will bring to the offense.

“Whenever I came in as a rookie with the Baltimore Ravens I had a Heisman Trophy winner, a guy who was well-established in Mark Ingram,’’ Dobbins told 9News’ Mike Klis in comments published in September. “And no matter what, he would always give what was right by me. I saw that and it meant … Mark and I are still best friends today. He was a great mentor, a great veteran. He was teaching me things that were helping me get better as a football player. That meant the world to me because at the end of the day we’re all chasing a dream.

“So now it’s my job to help the young man get to where he needs to go because eventually I’m going to retire and when I retire I want to look back and say I really helped that kid. If he’s still playing and I’m retired, I want to look and say, ‘I taught him that. I told him to do that.’ It’s kind of like having a little brother. And it helps us win games.”

Dobbins is giving the Broncos everything they could ask for. Up next, the Broncos travel to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. They will need Dobbins and Harvey to be in top form to knock off the champs.