Crowded running back room one problem Broncos OK with having
Aug 20, 2017, 1:00 AM | Updated: 11:06 pm
Many balls are still up in the air for the Denver Broncos, as the team heads into its regular season dress rehearsal on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers.
As of Saturday night, there’s not a decision on who’ll be the starter come the regular season opener on Sept. 11. The defensive front seven has been depleted by injury. In the first two preseason games, the offensive line was penalized “way too much,” head coach Vance Joseph said.
But one problem they’re welcoming is a crowded running backs room, with the emergence of rookie De’Angelo Henderson and resurgence of veteran Stevan Ridley.
Ridley led all the Broncos rushers in Saturday’s 33-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers with 40 yards on 14 attempts.
Henderson himself had 30 yards against the 49ers and led the unit against the Chicago Bears the previous week with 54 yards on 7 carries.
After the game Saturday, Joseph called Henderson a “special runner.”
“You know, what we saw in the spring you couldn’t verify because it’s not tackling,” Joseph said. “He made guys miss on spring and obviously in training camp he made guys miss, but to watch him in open space, it’s fun to see, because he’s going to make the first guy miss most of the time.
“And his long speed is really good for a little guy. So, once he pops he can, I mean he’s a home run hitter. So, it’s fun to see.”
Fourth-year Broncos running back Juwan Thompson also showed well in his limited reps against the 49ers, rushing for 26 yards on three carries for a game-high 8.7 yards per carry among all running backs.
After the game, starter C.J. Anderson spread the praise around the running backs room, saying, “As a unit, we don’t want to miss a beat, and we are showing that.”
Joseph said that it’s “absolutely” a good problem to have as many good running backs on the team, even if some might not be on the roster after the final-53 cutdown.
“You know, we’ve got four or five backs that we feel good about. You know, (Devontae) Booker should be back in week one or two, so it’s a good group,” Joseph said. “You know, it should be that way.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
