It’s been a somewhat strange second year in Denver for veteran running back J.K. Dobbins. As coach Sean Payton tells it, however, everything is going as planned.

“He’s a huge part of what we’re doing,” Payton told reporters on Wednesday regarding whether the team is managing Dobbins’s workload. “So each week we look at — a lot of times who’s the back that’s in there with the hot hand. But he’s been fantastic. So to answer your question: No, that’s not a hot button topic with us here. It might be with you guys, but not with us. So we’re good. We’re good with the rotation.”

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Payton is generally using a three-back rotation, with Dobbins joining R.J. Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman. Still, with Harvey on injured reserve for Sunday’s showdown against the Chiefs, Dobbins got fewer chances than Coleman.

Coleman, who was on the field for 41 offensive plays, had 11 carries for 41 yards and four catches for 63. Dobbins played 13 snaps, getting seven carries for 13 yards and no targets in the passing game.

“Look, it’s always easy to work two [running backs] and it becomes more challenging when you’re trying to work three, but he’s doing a great job,” Payton said of Dobbins.

For the year, Dobbins has 94 carries for 306 yards in eight games, with eight catches for 27 yards. That’s 333 yards from scrimmage — an average of 41.6 per game.

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In 10 games last year, before he suffered a season-ending foot injury during a Thursday night game against the Raiders, Dobbins was averaging nearly twice that amount, at 80.9 yards from scrimmage per game.

Through it all, the Broncos have been linked to a potential trade for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. While the prospect of acquiring a workhorse would cut against Payton’s longstanding approach to use multiple running backs, Taylor’s arrival would surely result in even fewer chances for Dobbins.