Ronnie Hillman to Vikings: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

For the first time in his five-year NFL career, Ronnie Hillman will be playing his home games outside of the Mile High City after the Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with the veteran running back Wednesday. 

According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer announced the signing.

Hillman's arrival comes on the heels of Adrian Peterson telling ESPN's Josina Anderson Wednesday he will undergo knee surgery Thursday to repair his meniscus.

Peterson may not return until December at the earliest, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, which created a need for backfield depth in Minnesota.

The Denver Broncos released Hillman in early September after they finalized their 53-man roster for the start of the regular season. Fourth-round draft pick Devontae Booker earned the backup job behind C.J. Anderson, and Kapri Bibbs beat out Hillman for third in the depth chart.

"Ronnie was a guy who did a lot of good things for us," Broncos general manager John Elway said, per the Denver Post's Cameron Wolfe. "We just thought that, with Kapri, we're in better shape with what he can do on special teams. It's always tough. They're all close. That one was really close. Kapri has worked hard, he deserved a shot."

Denver's decision to re-sign Hillman in April was somewhat odd in the first place. The team already had Anderson, and the selection of Booker signaled the Broncos weren't entirely sold on having Hillman as their top reserve at running back.

The 25-year-old is coming off his best season in the league. He ran for 863 yards and seven touchdowns on 207 carries. He also caught 24 passes for 111 yards. Having a career year didn't necessarily mean Hillman was a productive runner, though.

Pro Football Focus graded him 54th (63.2) out of 69 qualified running backs, and Football Outsiders ranked him 34th among 44 qualified backs in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement).

After speaking with two league executives, ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold highlighted a problem for Hillman as he looks to regain a meaningful role on an NFL team:

Last year, Hillman had the chance to prove he could be a No. 1 running back in the NFL. He started 11 games for Denver. But instead of him making a strong impression, Anderson was clearly the better option in the Broncos backfield. The 2015 season clearly demonstrated as well that Hillman isn't capable of being a team's primary ball-carrier.

With that said, Hillman isn't a bad addition for the Vikings given the state of the free-agent market. It's not as if any of the other available options could've stepped right into a starting role for Minnesota; otherwise, those players wouldn't be free agents in the first place.

Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata are expected to share starting duties with Peterson on the shelf, but after Hillman's fairly productive 2015 season, it isn't a stretch to think he could work his way into the rotation regularly.

Hillman is a smaller, speedier back much like McKinnon, and if McKinnon falters at all in his effort to help replace Peterson in the lineup, Hillman could be the biggest beneficiary.