Denver Broncos Juwan Thompson May Start at RB Due to Injuries

The Denver Broncos are really banged up right now at multiple positions on both sides of the ball. Their injury report is so long, it engulfs nearly half of the 53-man roster. On Thursday, the injury report contained a whopping 22 players for the Broncos.

Starting running back Ronnie Hillman is battling a foot injury. On Wednesday and Thursday, Hillman did not practice. His backup, C.J. Anderson, has also missed both days of practice due to an ankle injury.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak explained Hillman’s absence.

“Yeah, Ronnie did not practice. He did a little bit early of the walk-through stuff when we were getting started, but no he did not practice. The expectations are for him and C.J. to be full participants [Friday], so we’ll see.”

Hillman is a speed back, and a foot injury can obviously rob him of explosiveness. Anderson has battled ankle problems at least twice this year, once in the preseason and once at the start of the regular season. The Broncos have designs of making a deep postseason run, and they’ll need their rushing attack on point if they want to make it to the Super Bowl. Perhaps getting these two some rest is the best recipe in Week 14.

Behind Hillman and Anderson is Juwan Thompson. The Broncos added Thompson as an undrafted free agent out of Duke last year. He has barely contributed this year, but Thompson is the type of player who could fill in admirably as a starter if needed.

Kubiak admits the team is ready in case Thompson is thrust into the starting lineup.

“Yeah, I think there’s a chance [he starts]. He’s worked that way the last two days. We have a lot of confidence in him. He played a lot last week and played well.”

Kubiak continued, “He’s in line rep-wise to go in there if need be. I think those other two guys—[Friday] will be a big indicator for them, but our expectations are for them to be there.”

If Thompson does start at running back for the Broncos, what should we expect out of the second-year pro? Let’s take a look.

Thompson Is a Power Back

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The best asset Thompson has as a runner is his power between the tackles. At 5'11", 225 pounds, he’s built with a strong and wide stance which helps him to carry tacklers after contact. Thompson doesn’t shy away from defenders and instead likes to lower his shoulders and deliver a crushing blow whenever possible. Most of the players trying to tackle Thompson are smaller, and he definitely knows how to use his size to his advantage.

In college, Thompson played linebacker in addition to running back and fullback. Thompson certainly plays the running back position with a linebacker mentality. The mere sight of him coming through the tackles has to be frightening for the opposition.

Even though he’s healthy now, Thompson has been banged up earlier this year. That frustrated the young back, but he understands that injuries are a part of the game.

“That was kind of upsetting because I did have some bigger roles, but that's the way of the game. You never know what's going to happen when you play. Whether it's an injury or a broken shoelace, somebody just has to step up, step in or you just have to take a play off. It was frustrating, but now I'm back into the swing of things.”

While Thompson is not creative or elusive as a runner, his straight-ahead style and no-nonsense attitude can be intimidating for opponents. He can easily grind down a defense during the course of a game, and Thompson himself looks to get stronger as the game goes on.

Above-Average Receiving Skills

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In addition to being a hammer between the tackles, Thompson has natural hands as a receiver out of the backfield. He does a good job of looking passes into his hands, and Thompson is tough to bring down when he builds a head of steam in the open field.

Thompson has spent time playing fullback for the Broncos this year, and that has helped him get on the field in 2015.

“Those [fullback snaps] help me out, too. It gives me another opportunity to help the team in some way whether that's lead blocking or catching a screen or pass here and there. It's just another dimension in this offense.”

While not overly fast, Thompson does have surprising speed to startle defenders tasked with covering him down the field on wheel routes. Thompson’s size makes him fearless when catching passes in traffic, and he’s got the leg strength to power through arm tackles for positive yards once he’s secured the pass.

The play-action passing game is a big part of the Broncos offense. Thompson can execute the play fake well, and he’s capable of turning quickly to snare a screen pass if needed. The Broncos lose nothing with Thompson on the field instead of their usual receiving back Anderson.

Pass Protection a Must

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Thompson needs to be able to protect the quarterback if he wants to see a lot of playing time Sunday. Brock Osweiler is more athletic than Peyton Manning, but at 6’7” there’s a lot of him to grab onto. Many defenses want to test the young quarterback by sending extra defenders to blitz him on passing downs. If Thompson is in, he needs to recognize where the blitzers are coming from and help stunt them before they get to Osweiler.

He’s ready to play running back, block or contribute on special teams this weekend.

“It's hard to prepare yourself for [everything]. You just have to have a lot of heart and just go get it done. Every play only takes so long,” Thompson said. “For that play, you just have to suck it up for those couple of seconds or however long it may be and just give it your all.”

Thompson has the desire to be great, and pass protection often comes down to “want to” in addition to technique. He’s a big-bodied running back who is tough for pass-rushers to jar back into the quarterback. Thompson is also wide, and this prevents defenders from slipping around him on the way to the passer.

Summary

Hillman and Anderson’s availability is unclear right now, but the team is ready to start Thompson just in case.

Even though both have missed practice so far this week, Kubiak feels they should be available for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders.

“Yeah, my expectations are [they will play]. I think they’re both making up ground. We picked up the tempo a little bit today from yesterday, but we’re trying to get those guys to Friday right now.”

No matter if Hillman or Anderson is good to go, Thompson is ready for any role the team needs him to play on Sunday.

“I've been just playing my position. If that's to start off with special teams and get the team going from that aspect, then that's what I'm going to do. Those guys have been hot all year and I'm not trying to take that from them, but now that they need some time off, it's time for me to step up and play my role.”

Every team needs a back like Thompson on the roster. The Broncos would still have a strong rushing attack if Thompson is their starter in Week 14.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.