Could the Broncos Look to Trade a Running Back?
With an over-abundance on the roster, could the Denver Broncos look to trade one of their running backs yet this offseason?
The emergence of C.J. Anderson in 2014 has afforded us the luxury of at least having this discussion, as the Broncos also invested a third round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft in Ronnie Hillman, who is already in a contract year. They invested a 2013 second round pick in Montee Ball out of Wisconsin.
In 2014, they picked up undrafted free agents Kapri Bibbs and Juwan Thompson, each of whom spent time on the active roster last year.
By my count, that’s five backs that could legitimately make the roster, and I don’t see one making it through waivers to spend this season on the practice squad. The Broncos might be faced with a tough decision to let one go, and that could yet come this offseason.
The only problem with trading a running back is going to be the diminishing value of the position (seemingly) and the over-abundance of talent that has just come into the league.
If I were the Broncos, I would look to try and get some value for one of the guys currently on the roster, but I would hesitate to take anything less than a fourth round pick. They have a really good (potentially) duo of backs that fit Gary Kubiak’s blocking scheme in Anderson and Ball, and the other guys also could excel in the one-cut scheme, specifically Kapri Bibbs who didn’t get any opportunities last year.
Juwan Thompson had the Broncos’ longest run of the 2014 season too.
It’s a really interesting situation at a position of clear strength for the Broncos, and there are teams (Cowboys) who could really use the ‘featured’ runner at the position. I think the Broncos have two or three guys that could be that for another team.
We’ll see as the offseason continues to progress, but this could be an interesting situation to monitor.