Report: Broncos RB RJ Harvey had offseason surgery for torn labrum

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey scored a lot of touchdowns during his rookie year.

12 to be exact, with seven coming on the ground and another five through the air.

Unfortunately, like the rest of the Broncos offense, Harvey was largely ineffective in a brutal AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. He finished the 10-7 loss with 37 rushing yards on 13 carries — only 2.8 yards per attempt.

Denver didn’t have QB Bo Nix or fellow running back J.K. Dobbins and watched the Pats head to the Super Bowl while they were eliminated short of the ultimate goal.

But a new report from Luca Evans of The Denver Post might help explain why RJ Harvey struggled that day. Evans is reporting Harvey suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder against the Patriots and “quietly” had surgery to repair it in the offseason.

Quiet, indeed, considering it’s now the middle of June and this is just coming out. The Broncos and Harvey’s camp did well to keep this under wraps. The second-year running back has been spotted at Denver’s OTAs the last couple weeks, but Evans reports he hasn’t done much team work.

The Broncos open mandatory minicamp later today and it runs through Thursday. You can bet more media members will have eyes on RJ Harvey and head coach Sean Payton will be asked about his offseason surgery.

Meanwhile, Dobbins is guaranteeing he won’t get hurt this season and lead the NFL in rushing. Those bold claims, along with the addition of rookie Jonah Coleman, could limit Harvey’s touches in 2026.

But there’s no doubt Harvey has a nose for the end zone, something Payton and new Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb will look to utilize this year and beyond.

Let’s just hope RJ Harvey is healthy and this torn labrum and surgery are a blip on the radar.