Vance Joseph Says Broncos Starting RB Job Is Wide Open

Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said Friday that the team will hold a competition for its starting running back job as the offseason progresses.

However, he stressed that just because a player isn't declared the starter doesn't mean he will be absent from the rushing rotation. Rather, the Broncos plan to deploy a timeshare that allows C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Jamaal Charles and rookie De'Angelo Henderson to share touches.

"The running back position, you need two or three guys who can carry the load. It's no longer a one-guy position," he said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "So, I'm excited to have Jamaal, C.J., Book, even De'Angelo in the mix there. It's a good group. It's going to be competitive and that's the way it should be." 

Anderson would seem to have a slight leg up on the competition since he's made 19 starts over the past three seasons. But after Anderson suffered a season-ending meniscus tear following a lackluster seven games that saw him average four yards per carry, it's fair to wonder if Booker should shoulder a heavier workload.

As a rookie, the 23-year-old tallied 174 carries for 612 yards and four touchdowns to go with 31 catches for 265 yards and a score.

Then there's Charles, who has appeared in a total of eight games over the past two seasons due to recurring knee issues.

Despite those woes, though, Joseph said he views Charles as a potential game-changer for an attack that was fairly one-dimensional in the backfield last season.

"If he's healthy, he's going to provide a spark and an element of speed that we needed as far as being an explosive offense," Joseph said, according to the AP.

"We're hoping to get Jamaal full speed by training camp. He's going to obviously rehab and have time to get healthy the entire OTAs and the entire summer. So, our goal for Jamaal is to have him on the field during training camp."

Without a true workhorse, it appears the Broncos' best bet for now would be to embrace a multifaceted attack that allows Anderson and Booker to bludgeon defenses between the tackles with Charles factoring in as a change-of-pace option so long as he's back at 100 percent.