DENVER — No serious fan should think the Denver Broncos are A-OK with J.K.

No one should believe they are fine with a running back room where the still-unnamed-starter is a rookie and all four members have alternated between being injured and ineffective.

No one should dismiss the running backs as an issue that will simply pass with time.

The question is simple as it stands today: Will it bite the Broncos like a mosquito, a feral cat or something akin to being devoured by a creature whose name includes saurus in the spelling?

Wednesday, coach Sean Payton insisted “We are good with the rotation.”

That makes one of us.

Seriously, is Payton really cool with J.K. Dobbins becoming an external distraction as long as he remains a good soldier in the locker room? Or just as salient: Is he agreeable to his current declining production?

The Broncos rank 22nd in points, 30th in yards and 31st in time of possession. The defense leads the league in snaps played.

The Bo Nix Slump — which took on a mythical quality like Babe Ruth’s stomach ache from eating a bad hot dog in 1925 — contributed mightily to these numbers. But let’s not run from the truth.

The ground game has not taken root.

We all like Jonah Coleman.

He is a bowling ball who rolls down the field with violent intentions. But he has missed time with an ankle issue and his sample size suggests he is going to need a sidekick, especially when he collides with the rookie wall in late January or early February (For reference see R.J. Harvey last season).

My email has been speckled with gregarious tales of how Coleman is the next Terrell Davis. Heck, he is not even better than Javonte Williams, circa 2021.

It is why, for me, the running back topic will not go away. It is OK to like Coleman — which I do — and also believe the Broncos should do something by next Tuesday’s trade deadline.

I wrote before the Arizona Cardinals game that they should pursue Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor. My opinion has not changed, but I also want to be transparent with the audience. If the price tag includes a first-round pick (and multiple other selections), then it remains unlikely the Broncos land him even as betting sites list Denver as the favorite.

With less than a week left before the trade deadline, most believe the Giants will acquire him.

The Broncos could offer a compelling argument that Taylor is not worth the asking price and that his future salary would impact who they can bring back.

My counterpoint? So what.

The goal is to win a Super Bowl. They don’t give the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the team with the best retention rate and most balanced salary cap. Plus, Taylor could provide a life raft for multiple seasons if Nix starts to sink again.

Anyway, if the Broncos cannot get Taylor and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry is not available — Taylor is preferred because he is a three-down back, but The King would provide a boost at a cheaper price — there is another obvious target.

And you thought I was going to say Breece Hall? Nope. Hall is too expensive and too injured.

Pollard is operating on an expiring contract and is absolutely crushing it for the Titans. He has 595 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry with six touchdowns.

There’s internal thinking that the Broncos already have Pollard in Coleman. Perhaps. But why not go full Noah’s Ark and carry two?

Feels like everyone knows that Coleman is the Broncos’ best back right now.

Well, everyone but Dobbins. He has become increasingly strange in his interactions with the media, from bailing on interviews to trying to rationalize that he is an involuntary participant in a load management program.

Payton fired back on Wednesday when asked about Dobbins’ snaps.

“He is a huge part of what we are doing. Each week, a lot of times, (it’s) whose the back who is in there with the hot hand? He has been fantastic,” Payton said. “That is not a hot-button topic with us, it might be with you guys but not with us. We are paying attention to it. Absolutely. Look, it is always easy to work two. It becomes more challenging with three.”

Payton likes Dobbins. Calls him a multiplier with his personality and energy. And frankly, I understand where Dobbins is coming from. He is delusionally confident — hello, Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan — a trait common among professional athletes.

They are the last to know. They refuse to take a hint. Heck, if Dobbins followed logic, his career would have ended after he mangled his knee in 2021.

So I don’t analyze every word he says and hold each sentence against him. He is emotional, if not a bit immature, when challenged by reality. Again, it has served him well.

Payton can see Dobbins in a positive light, but it cannot obstruct his vision for this team.

Dobbins is not cutting it. He is a tell — 60 of his 93 carries — are on first down. And his numbers are telling — 3.5 yards on first down and 2.9 on second, compared to 6.0 and 3.8 in 10 games a year ago.

In football like politics, leaders say optimistic things in the face of pessimistic facts.

Dobbins has not lived up to expectations. By any measure, Coleman has been better — 19 carries for 77 yards on first down, 4.1 per clip, and nine for 55 on second down, or 6.1 per attempt.

Again, the danger is extrapolating at this position from such a small sample. Coleman has carried the ball 30 times for 134 yards in four games played. He is a wise rookie, an older soul, and someone who can understand the pro offense.

But the Broncos cannot afford to make the same mistake as last season. They put too much trust in Harvey after Dobbins got hurt, and it doomed them in the AFC Championship Game.

If Payton wants to keep Dobbins around, fine. Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Adam Trautman are Broncos for Life. So be it.

But we have proof. Receipts. Denver needs another running back, and, at the very least, a capable backup.

Shoot for Taylor. Call about Henry. And, if that fails, don’t hang up until you get Pollard.

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