By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos are going to start training camp on July 28th. They are looking to improve on their 5-11 record from last year. Of course, the main battle that will take place is at quarterback between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. The media is going to keep an eye on who passed well each day and who has the advantage going into preseason games. One competition to also look at is running back.
The Broncos have 6 running backs on the roster. Those are Melvin Gordon, Royce Freeman, LeVante Bellamy, Damarea Crockett, Mike Boone, and Javonte Williams. Boone is most likely going to play special teams which means the rest are going for 3 spots possibly 4 depending on the practice squad.
Gordon is probably the safest out of all of them. He is the veteran running back who should compete with Freeman for the top spot. Gordon is in the final year of his contract. This could be a big year for him. He is not only playing for the Broncos, but showing he deserves another deal. Gordon rushed for 986 yards and 9 touchdowns last year even though he split time as the starter. Those numbers aren’t bad but he has shown in his career he can handle being the starter. Gordon did that for 5 seasons with the Chargers.
The biggest concern with Gordon is fumbling. He can’t seem to hold onto the ball well. Opponents either punch it or take it away from him. Gordon holds it loosely and doesn’t have two hands on the football which makes it easy for him to fumble the ball. Last year he committed 4 fumbles, far too many. He needs to prove his fumbling habits are the thing of the past.
Freeman heads into his 4th season. He has not been the primary back. Last year, he was mostly used in special teams. He rarely had the chance to be in the backfield to run with the football. Freeman totaled 170 rushing yards, but didn’t have a rushing touchdown. Freeman has his chance to show he can be the #2 running back behind Gordon. It is possible that if he is unable to be it, he will be gone or used on the special teams like he was last year.
Bellamy is in his second year for Denver. He was used on the practice squad but appeared in 5 games for Denver, rushing for 11 yards. Bellamy has his chance to show what he learned from last year to this season. It is possible Bellamy may not make the roster and be placed on the practice squad once again. That isn’t the worst idea. He will have the opportunity to learn once again. The way he makes the active roster is by playing well in preseason games. Bellamy needs to make an impact.
Damarea Crockett also spent time on the practice squad. He was also part of the Green Bay Packers practice squad, but was let go on October 20th, 2020. Denver picked him up to be part of theirs. He is a long shot to make the roster. Most likely Denver might have to let him go after the preseason unless he shows the coaching staff he can play at the NFL level.
Boone agreed to a 2-year contract in the offseason. Denver Broncos’ General Manager George Paton is familiar with Boone since he played for the Vikings from 2018 to 2020. Boone is not a guy who can handle the duties of being an every down back. He can be the change of pace back for short yardage. He has rushed for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns in his career. His average yards per rush is 5.3. Boone most likely will be on special teams coverage. He can tackle a runner in the open field.
Williams is the only one without NFL experience. Denver drafted Williams in the 2nd-round of the NFL draft. Many experts saw Williams as the 3rd best running back in the draft behind Najee Harris, who was taken in the 1st-round by Pittsburgh, and Travis Etienne, who was also selected in the 1st-round by Jacksonville. Williams rushed for 2,297 yards and 29 touchdowns in 3 years for the University of North Carolina with an impressive yards per rush of 6.3 yards.
A 2nd-round pick is high to take a running back. The hope is Williams can understand the playbook and be a guy Denver can count on. He most likely will be one of the 3 running backs dressed for games. The worst case is it takes him a while to understand the playbook and he struggles in preseason games since Williams has never played a game at the NFL level. It is likely the Broncos keep him on the active roster.
The Broncos anticipate the running game should be improved from last year. It ranked 13th in the NFL with 119.9 rushing yards per game. They were 24th in rushing touchdowns at 13. The Broncos will need to see how all of these running backs do, not only during camp but preseason games as well. They have to make decisions on who to keep. They have depth and optimistically these running backs show they deserve a spot on the roster.
Leave a Reply