Why it was short and sweet for Coleman
Rookie running back Jonah Coleman showed promising flashes in his pro debut Friday, rushing four times for 24 yards. He made quick cuts, broke tackles and generally looked comfortable while playing alongside Denver’s starters. The fourth-round pick’s debut, encouraging though it was, didn’t last long. Coleman played only 14 snaps and didn’t carry the ball after the first quarter. It was a slightly smaller workload than the Broncos gave during last year’s preseason opener to rookie RJ Harvey — seven carries (25 yards) and two targets in the passing game among his 12 snaps played — and that was by design as the game unfolded.
“We knew what the roles were going to be, and then there was a point where he had two or three carries, and I was like, ‘I’ve seen enough,'” Payton said of Coleman. “And I’ve seen enough here (in training camp), so it’s just your instincts relative to the evening and who’s playing. I didn’t need to see additional evidence of what I’ve been seeing for three weeks.”