DENVER — Jonah Coleman did almost everything a rookie running back wants to do in his first NFL preseason appearance.
He ran with power.
He broke tackles.
He showed balance through contact.
And on just four official carries, he produced 24 rushing yards — an impressive 6.0 yards per attempt — as the Denver Broncos rolled past the Atlanta Falcons, 27-7.
Yet when Sean Payton studies the film, one part of Coleman’s debut may matter considerably more than those 24 yards.
Pass protection.
Postgame analysis identified several protection whiffs from the fourth-round rookie, raising an uncomfortable question about whether Coleman is truly ready for the third-down role Denver believed he could handle when it drafted him.
And that matters because Payton already made his standard perfectly clear months ago.
“He can play on third down,” Payton said after Denver selected Coleman. “He does a really good job in blocking pressure looks.”
After one preseason game, Coleman’s running ability looks ready.
His protection still has something to prove.
Coleman Looked Like Everything Denver Wanted With the Ball
There was plenty to like.
Officially, Coleman finished with four carries for 24 yards, averaging six yards per rushing attempt. His most impressive run came in the first quarter, when he powered through contact and spun away from defenders for a 13-yard gain.
That play showed exactly why Denver used the 108th overall selection on him.
Coleman is compact.
Physical.
Decisive.
He does not need much space before accelerating downhill.
Payton noticed the same qualities after the game.
“Just what we’ve been seeing, right?” Payton said of the rookie, adding that Coleman had enjoyed a good training camp and praising his balance while escaping tackles.
As a runner, the rookie passed his first test.
But running the football was never going to determine whether Coleman could stay on the field for all three downs.
The Bigger Test Happened Without the Football
This is where Coleman’s debut became complicated.
Mile High Report’s postgame analysis noted that the rookie had several whiffs in pass protection, even while praising his burst, decisiveness and ability to run through contact.
Those mistakes do not appear in a traditional rushing box score.
A fan sees 24 yards.
A coach sees something different.
Who identified the pressure?
Who picked up the blitz?
Who protected the quarterback?
Who allowed a free defender into the backfield?
For a running back fighting for regular-season snaps, those questions can decide everything.
A five-yard run helps an offense.
One missed protection can get a quarterback hit.
Sean Payton knows the difference.
Payton Specifically Drafted Coleman Because He Thought He Could Protect
That is what makes the mistakes so notable.
When Denver drafted Coleman in April, Payton did not merely praise his running ability.
He specifically highlighted something many rookie backs struggle to master.
Third-down football.
“He can play on third down,” Payton said at the time. “Normally, you have to project that.”
Payton then praised Coleman’s ability to understand and block pressure looks, calling him smart and tough.
That was significant praise.
It suggested Denver believed Coleman arrived with a more complete skill set than the average Day 3 rookie.
Training camp appeared to support that assessment. Reports before the Falcons game noted that Coleman had made quality blitz pickups and had impressed observers with his pass-protection work.
Then the first game arrived.
And the protection did not look nearly as clean.
One Preseason Game Doesn’t Erase His Camp — But the Film Matters
Coleman should not be judged entirely on one August performance.
Young running backs routinely struggle with NFL pass protection.
The speed is different.
The disguise is different.
Linebackers and safeties attack gaps differently than college defenders.
A player may have only seconds to determine which defender belongs to him before the quarterback is exposed.
That learning curve is real.
But Coleman entered Denver with unusually high expectations in this specific area.
That changes the evaluation.
The Broncos did not draft him expecting a player who could only carry the football.
They believed they had found someone capable of contributing on third down.
If Coleman wants that role immediately, the protection errors cannot continue.
The Broncos Have Too Many Running Backs for Mistakes to Go Unpunished
Coleman is also competing inside a crowded backfield.
Denver has J.K. Dobbins.
It has RJ Harvey.
And Coleman is trying to carve out his own role after being selected in the fourth round. Before the preseason opener, his strong camp had already generated considerable excitement about how quickly he might contribute.
That makes pass protection a separator.
Running backs can share carries.
Third-down trust is harder to share.
When Denver faces third-and-7 and the defense shows pressure, Payton has to know the running back standing beside his quarterback understands exactly what is coming.
There is no room for guessing.
If one back consistently makes the correct protection call and another does not, the coaching staff does not need long to determine who stays on the field.
Six Yards Per Carry Won’t Matter if the Quarterback Isn’t Safe
That sounds harsh.
NFL football is harsh.
Running backs are evaluated differently than fans often evaluate them.
Explosive runs are visible.
Broken tackles generate highlights.
Pass protection usually gets noticed only when it fails.
But coaches notice it every time.
Former Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville once summarized the challenge perfectly when discussing rookie running backs and protection: a rookie cannot be trusted in every situation until the coaching staff knows he can protect the quarterback.
That principle applies directly to Coleman.
Denver can love his physicality.
Payton can love his balance.
The Broncos can envision him becoming part of a dangerous rushing rotation.
None of that automatically earns him third-down snaps.
Protection earns those.
The Contrast From Camp Is What Should Concern Coleman Most
Only days before the Atlanta game, Coleman was receiving praise for his work against blitzes.
Training-camp observers specifically noted multiple quality blitz pickups, calling it an encouraging sign for a rookie.
That means the ability is there.
The question is whether it can become consistent when the opponent changes.
Practice recognition is one thing.
Game-speed recognition is another.
Atlanta gave Coleman his first NFL test against defenders who were not wearing Broncos colors.
The result revealed the gap that still exists.
For Payton, that may be one of the most valuable things preseason can provide.
Better to discover the problem in August than when Bo Nix is standing in the pocket during a regular-season third down.
Denver’s 27-7 Win Gives Payton the Luxury of Being Demanding
The Broncos were not searching for positives after an embarrassing defeat.
They dominated Atlanta 27-7, rushed for 162 yards as a team and controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the night. Payton said afterward that he was pleased with Denver’s rushing performance and believed the backs ran hard.
That makes Coleman’s protection issue easier to isolate.
Denver does not need to panic.
It needs to correct.
The rushing ability is evident.
The contact balance is evident.
The physicality Denver liked during the draft process showed up immediately.
Now the Broncos need the rest of the package.
Coleman’s Path to More Snaps Is Suddenly Very Clear
There is no mystery surrounding what comes next.
Coleman does not need to become a different runner.
He needs to become a more trustworthy protector.
Identify pressure earlier.
Square up the blitzer.
Avoid lunging.
Finish the block long enough for the quarterback to complete the play.
If Coleman improves there, his first preseason performance suddenly looks extremely encouraging.
A rookie averaging six yards per carry while demonstrating NFL-level physicality is valuable.
A rookie who can do those things and protect on third down becomes much harder to keep off the field.
That was the player Payton believed Denver drafted.
Now Coleman has to become that player consistently.
One Flaw Could Decide How Quickly His Rookie Role Grows
The Broncos learned plenty about Jonah Coleman against Atlanta.
They learned his physical running style translates.
They learned his balance translates.
They learned defenders will have difficulty bringing him down cleanly.
But preseason evaluation is not about confirming only what a player does well.
It is about finding what could keep him off the field when games matter.
For Coleman, that weakness appeared quickly.
Pass protection.
The irony is impossible to miss.
Before the season, Payton specifically praised Coleman because Denver believed he was advanced enough in protection to handle third-down responsibilities.
After his first NFL game, that same area now requires the most attention.
Coleman ran for 24 yards on four carries.
The Broncos won by 20.
His debut contained plenty to celebrate.
But if the rookie wants meaningful snaps once September arrives, the most important play on his next film review may not involve him touching the football at all.
Six yards per carry can get a rookie noticed. Protecting the quarterback is what can keep him on the field.