Deadspin Research Shows Broncos RBs Playing at Highest Level in the NFL

Sep 29, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (21) runs the ball during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not a statistical genius by any means, but I love that there are people out there who are willing to put in the work to give NFL fans the best experience possible through detailed research.

The guys at Deadspin have come up with a chart for all 32 NFL teams, as well as charts for the best, worst, and average team that show a metric for each position called DYAR, or “Defense-Adjusted Yards Above Replacement”. What does that mean? Well, it’s basically a metric that looks at a position group on any given team rather than individual players. DYAR looks at the total value of a position group for a team adjusted based on the opponent they are playing.

Based on this value chart, the Broncos are not only the best overall team in the NFL (go figure) but the running backs had the highest DYAR of any team in the league, which really shocked me.

I know the Broncos’ running game has steadily improved over the course of the first four games, but even with Montee Ball having a DYAR value of -36, the Broncos had the highest value in the NFL at +191 through four games (Knowshon Moreno, +135; Ronnie Hillman, +92).

So, needless to say, whenever Montee Ball figures things out for the Broncos, the offense will get even scarier. The Broncos also ranked first in DYAR at the wide receiver position and the quarterback position. Here’s their team graphic from Deadspin, but check out the full article as well. It’s a very interesting read with some great info.