On Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium, running back Jonah Coleman figures to be the only Broncos rookie wearing shoulder pads.

With the Broncos having a very deep team and not having any picks in the first two rounds of last April’s draft, the fourth-round selection from Washington is expected to be their only rookie active for the regular-season opener at Kansas City.

Coleman doesn’t take that lightly.

“I felt like I approached practice (with the Broncos) every day like I was an undrafted free agent,’’ Coleman told The Denver Gazette. “You know, just having that chip on my shoulder that I can still get cut. So just approaching every day like I was going to lose my job or somebody taking it. So just having that humbleness, that growth mindset that can better me at something is something that really drove me.”

It didn’t take long for the Broncos to fall in love with Coleman. Coach Sean Payton raved about him during rookie minicamp in May, and that continued throughout training camp and the preseason.

But that doesn’t mean Coleman no longer has that chip on his shoulder. After all, he wasn’t taken until the third day of the draft.

“For sure,’’ Coleman said. “I definitely should have went earlier in the draft. … But I just feel like Denver was the right place for me.”

Coleman was the second of the Broncos’ seven draft picks. Three didn’t make the opening 53-man roster, with seventh-round safety Miles Scott and seventh-round linebacker Red Murdock signed to the practice squad and fifth-round tight end Justin Joly being claimed off waivers by Miami.

Among the other three, it would be a surprise if defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, a third round-pick, guard Kage Casey, a fourth-round selection, or tight end Dallen Bentley, a seventh-round pick, is active against the Chiefs.

In each of Payton’s first three Denver seasons, at least three rookies were active and played in the regular-season opener. In 2023, there were three in wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr., linebacker Drew Sanders and undrafted running back Jaleel McLaughlin. In 2024, there were four in quarterback Bo Nix, outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, running back Audric Estime and receiver Devaughn Vele. And in 2025, there were four in cornerback Jahdae Barron, running back RJ Harvey, receiver Pat Bryant and punter Jeremy Crawshaw.

In four years at Arizona and Washington, the 5-foot-9, 220-pound Coleman rushed for 3,054 yards while averaging an impressive 5.5 yards per carry. He also caught 87 passes and was an adept pass blocker.

Payton has declined to say how he will handle snaps with his running backs Monday. The starter will be J.K. Dobbins with second-year man RJ Harvey and Coleman available in relief. It is uncertain whether Tyler Badie, fourth on the depth chart, will be active.

“I’m nervous before every game, so definitely nervous until the ball kicks off and then it’s just football until the end of the day,’’ Coleman said when asked about his outlook for Monday’s game. “But I’m excited. I’m ready to go out there with my teammates and ultimately do the most important thing, which is winning.”

Nervous or not, Coleman looked good in his preseason debut, carrying four times for 24 yards while playing 14 snaps in a 27-7 win at Atlanta on Aug. 14. Payton said afterward he yanked the rookie early because he “didn’t need to see additional evidence of what I’ve been seeing for three weeks.”

In the second preseason game against Green Bay, Coleman had three carries for 9 yards while playing just eight snaps. In the finale against Minnesota, he was a healthy scratch.

“It felt good,’’ Coleman said of his preseason. “Just my competitive standpoint, I wanted to still play. I still wanted to keep staying in games. I feel like I was just getting warmed up, getting used to it. So I feel like I still have more to show for sure, but I’m never going to go against coach’s will. He said he’d seen enough. Now it’s time to stay consistent and keep things rolling in the regular season.”

Coleman heads into the regular season getting plenty of guidance from Dobbins. The seven-year veteran has taken Coleman under his wing.

“Just trying to let him know everything that I’ve went through on the field, and just kind of teach him little things that maybe can make his game better,’’ Dobbins said. “That’s my job is to be a great big brother because he’s a rookie and I’m going on year seven now. So I’ve got some knowledge that maybe he could use and hopefully he uses it and he’s gonna be a great player.”

Dobbins has battled injuries throughout his career, but he knows plenty about contributing to a team as a rookie. After being a second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2020, he had 805 yards on the ground for Baltimore.