Denver Broncos Rushing Roulette: Who Is Best Fit with Montee Ball Sidelined?

The Denver Broncos were back to being a pass-happy offense against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. They had been trying to run a balanced offense in 2014, but that was not the case on Sunday. While Peyton Manning tossed the ball 47 times for a career-record 479 passing yards, the team as a whole rushed only 28 times for 92 yards.

Starting running back Montee Ball missed about half of the game after he suffered what was diagnosed as a groin injury. After he was hurt, the team turned primarily to Ronnie Hillman. Rookie Juwan Thompson was also involved as a running back late in the game.

Ball likes what he saw from Hillman and Thompson after he went down. “They did a lot of great things yesterday. They showed they’re capable of stepping up and taking the reps when needed. And I told them, all of them on day one, I said ‘We’re going to need every single one of you guys.’ And that’s proven.”

Early reports indicate that Ball may miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks because of this injury. Mike Klis, from The Denver Post, reports that Ball is expected to miss several weeks after an MRI revealed a significant groin strain.

Without Ball available, the team has to find a new starter. They have multiple choices, but which back should win the job?

Now, the Broncos have to play a game of rushing roulette.

Wikipedia describes roulette as follows:

"

Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. Players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even.

"

The Broncos aren’t playing a casino game, but they do need to find the right number to put their trust in going forward without Ball. Will they choose 23, 22, 40, 35 or some other number?

Let’s take a look at the different options for the Broncos and decide where we should place our chips on the table.

Ronnie Hillman

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In the 2012 NFL draft, the Broncos moved up 20 spots in a trade with the Cleveland Browns so they could acquire Hillman. The San Diego State runner was coming off two 1,000-yard seasons for the Aztecs. Despite his lack of size, Hillman was considered an ideal change-of-pace runner.

Hillman might be the fastest player on the Broncos roster. His speed is immediately evident when he gets the handoff with a large hole in front of him. Hillman can get to top speed in a hurry, and he eats up chunks of yards quickly. This helps him make big plays in space as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield.

Fumbling problems plagued him last year, and Hillman lost the starting job in the 2013 preseason. Hillman has worked hard to earn trust back with the coaching staff. Fox believes he’s done that, especially after what he did in the game against the Cardinals.

“I think everybody in that room that’s got a seat, you trust. What you do with that moving forward is really based on your performance. We’re in a performance-based business.” Fox continued, “They know it, I know it. But I think he helped his cause. He had a good day.”

Hillman is not a big back, and he’s never going to push a pile when the team needs him to pick up a short-yardage situation. Even though he’s fast, Hillman lacks the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. He doesn’t pick up many yards after contact, and Hillman is brought down rather easily.

C.J. Anderson

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Anderson was an undrafted free agent signed by the Broncos in 2013 after coming out of Cal. His college production was somewhat limited by the running back by committee and shared workload with scatback Isi Sofele.

Even though he’s a big back (220 pounds), Anderson may have the fastest 10-yard split of any back on the team. His initial quickness helps him get to and through the hole in an efficient manner. Once Anderson builds a head of steam, he’s tough to bring down.

Anderson is a smart back who puts himself in the correct position when asked to pass block or catch passes out of the backfield. He’s not a big-play threat, but Anderson has a rock-solid skill set and all-purpose game. Betting on Anderson as the lead back would be easy if he wasn’t inactive this last week.

On Monday, Fox revealed why the team deactivated Anderson for the game against the Cardinals.

“We do it every week. They make us [deactivate] seven guys on a 53-man roster. I tell you guys all the time all these take on different personalities—there are certain needs, certain matchups. Without getting too much into strategy of it, the Cardinals played a lot of wide receivers in the scouting report and we went with—four [running] backs is a lot.” Fox concluded, “We’ve done that over the first few weeks and yesterday we went with an extra DB.”

Juwan Thompson

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Broncos found another gem at the running back position as a college free agent when they signed Thompson after the draft earlier this year. Thompson played on both sides of the ball for the Duke Blue Devils, showing versatility as a running back, fullback, H-back and linebacker. His all-purpose skill set and knowledge of the David Cutcliffe (Manning’s college offensive coordinator) system made him an ideal fit for the Broncos.

Thompson is the biggest back on the Broncos roster, weighing in at 225 pounds. He runs like the biggest back, and Thompson makes his living between the tackles. Thompson can grind down opponents as the game goes on with his punishing style.

He’s arguably the best pass-protecting back on the roster. Thompson does a great job of protecting the quarterback, and that has earned him early playing time as a rookie. He’s also a decent receiver out of the backfield.

Thompson is not that quick, and he’s certainly not fast by any measure. However, he’s intent and wastes little motion as a runner. This style works great on an offense that spreads the field the way the Broncos do.

Kapri Bibbs

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Like Thompson, Bibbs was picked up after the draft this year. In one year at Colorado State, Bibbs showed off an amazing skill set, rushing for over 1,700 yards and scoring 31 rushing touchdowns in 2013. Bibbs is one of three running backs (Barry Sanders, Montee Ball) in FBS history to score 30 or more touchdowns on the ground in a single season.

Bibbs obviously has a nose for the end zone, but it’s far from his lone asset. He runs with good vision, and Bibbs is able to anticipate and identify cutback lanes early. Bibbs also runs with fantastic balance. He can take a hit, keep his feet and pick up good yardage after contact.

He’s currently on the team’s practice squad, but Bibbs may get called up to the active roster because of Ball’s injury. If he is activated, it’s not out of the question to see Bibbs thrown into the mix.

Free Agents

Al Behrman/Associated Press

The running back position in the NFL is not kind to older veterans. There’s not much on the market right now, but there are a couple of players worth noting here.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis was released by the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year. He’s still recovering from a hip injury suffered in the preseason, but according to Jason LaCanfora from CBS Sports, there have been a few teams interested in the veteran back: 

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W/ BAL and MIN losing RBs for discipline and other teams to injury, several clubs reaching out to Green-Ellis. He's still rehabbing injury..

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 17, 2014 "

Green-Ellis is a no-nonsense runner with a couple of 1,000-yard seasons to his credit. He’s capable between the tackles, plus Green-Ellis can be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. His skill set seems perfect for a head coach like John Fox.

Another free agent the Broncos could show interest in is Felix Jones. The speedy veteran was a first-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 2008. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, but as of right now he remains unsigned.

A back like Chad Spann has experience playing with Manning from their days together as teammates with the Indianapolis Colts. He’s been with five different teams since coming out of Northern Illinois as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

It’s always a possibility that Denver could bring back Brennan Clay. The rookie from Oklahoma was a standout during rookie minicamp and OTAs, but he was released during training camp.

There are options for the Broncos on the open market, but none are overly enticing.

Summary

OK, we’ve looked at all the possible starters for the Broncos and it’s time to place our bet.

Hillman may get the first crack at the starting job, and this makes him the safest option to put your chips on. With his career history of disappointment and fumbling problems, Hillman’s opportunity may be short-lived. Even though he’s a safe bet now, Hillman could quickly go back to being nothing more than a part-time player.

Anderson is arguably the most naturally talented runner on the team (including Ball). His power, quickness and ability to pick up yards after contact could work well with a larger role. Anderson might be the most talented back, but his inactive status in Week 5 does make him a risk.

Thompson is a rookie power back that many fans want to see as the starter. He’s good at everything, but he’s not great at one thing—and he’s far from a big-play option. The return on the bet may just not pay off as big with a back like Thompson.

Bibbs is the long shot here. Even though he’s No. 35, betting on Bibbs to win the starting job is like putting all your chips on “00.”

I’ll put my chips on Anderson to eventually emerge in this backfield as the primary back. He comes with the proper blend of risk and reward. His opportunity is now, and he’ll have to prove that he’s more valuable as a starter than Hillman or Thompson.

It will be interesting to see who comes out on top for the Broncos while Ball is out. If this unknown starter performs well, there’s a chance that Ball could lose his starting job.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.