Willis McGahee Needs Relief In Broncos’ Backfield

Willis McGahee put together one helluva season. His performance garnered him Pro Bowl honors and in some games, he carried the Denver Broncos on his back until the passing game could get going.

The 8-year veteran had 1,199 yards on 249 carries (4.8 yards per carry) in 15 games. He had seven 100+ yard games this season and he relieved a lot of pressure off of Tim Tebow.

The issue surrounding McGahee is that he is a relatively healthy back, and that’s how the Broncos would like to keep him. He is 30 years old, but he has younger legs than that because before coming to Denver, he backed up Ray Rice in Baltimore. That’s the benefit of having a two-back system. It keeps guys healthy and the team has fresh legs on each down.

Because John Fox is a run heavy coach, the Broncos will need to pick up a running back in the off season who is able to come in and contribute immediately. Yes, the team has Knowshon Moreno, but he hasn’t played an injury-free season yet. He was placed on the IR Nov. 15 with a torn ACL.

The team needs another reliable back.

Here’s a list of the available free agent running backs:

LaRod Stephens-Howling – ARI (R)
Chester Taylor – ARI
Gartrell Johnson – ATL (R)
Jason Snelling – ATL
Jason McKie – BAL
Ray Rice – BAL
Tashard Choice – BUF
Tyrell Sutton – CAR (R)
Jerome Felton – CAR
Matt Forte – CHI
Kahlil Bell – CHI (R)
Chris Pressley – CIN (R)
Fui Vakapuna – CIN (R)
Peyton Hillis – CLE
Spencer Larsen – DEN
LenDale White – DEN
Maurice Morris – DET
Aaron Brown – DET (R)
Ryan Grant – GB
Derrick Ward – HOU
Brock Bolen – JAC (R)
Thomas Jones – KC
Steve Slaton – MIA
Deon Anderson – MIA
Lorenzo Booker – MIN
Michael Bush – OAK
Rock Cartwright – OAK
Thomas Clayton – NE (R)
LaDainian Tomlinson – NYJ
Mewelde Moore – PIT
Isaac Redman – PIT (R)
Jacob Hester – SD
Mike Tolbert – SD
Justin Forsett – SEA
Marshawn Lynch – SEA
Brit Miller – STL (R)
Cadillac Williams – STL
Jerious Norwood – STL
Earnest Graham – TB
Kregg Lumpkin – TB (R)

Do any of these guys strike a chord or do the Broncos stick to the draft in building their team for the future?

This is just one issue that the Broncos will be addressing in their end of season evaluation period.

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