RJ Harvey is unlikely to play for the Denver Broncos on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a hamstring injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported.
The second-year running back is officially questionable. He did not practice Wednesday, then was limited Thursday and Friday.
The injury came out of Denver’s 31-10 season-opening loss at Kansas City.
Harvey led the Broncos’ backfield in snaps in that game, playing 26 offensive snaps to J.K. Dobbins’ 22. He finished with three carries for 18 yards and four catches for 23 yards.
The backfield work shifts without him. Dobbins is expected to take most of the carries, with rookie fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman in line for some of Harvey’s touches. Tyler Badie is also available.
Dobbins ran eight times for 36 yards against the Chiefs.
Harvey became a key piece of the offense as a rookie.
Denver drafted him in the second round in 2025, 60th overall out of UCF. He left UCF as the program’s all-time leader in total touchdowns with 48 and rushed for 1,577 yards in his final season.
He appeared in all 17 games last season. He ran 146 times for 540 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 47 of 58 targets for 356 yards and five more scores.
He took over as the starter after Dobbins suffered a season-ending foot injury in November. In Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, he scored three touchdowns and was named NFL Rookie of the Week.
The timing is poor for Denver.
The Broncos managed just 176 yards from scrimmage at Kansas City in offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s first game calling plays. Sunday is Denver’s home opener and a chance to avoid an 0-2 start.
Jacksonville arrives at 1-0 after a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Jaguars were the only team to beat the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High during the 2025 regular season, winning 34-20 in Week 16.
Kickoff is 4:05 p.m. ET. Inactives are due around 2:35 p.m. ET, when Harvey’s status becomes official.
Should the hamstring linger, Denver’s next game offers no break. The Los Angeles Rams visit Empower Field for Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
