Denver Broncos Training Camp 2015: Five Backups To Be Excited About

June 9, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball (28) following mini camp activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, so there’s reason for fans to get excited about some of the ‘backups’ on the team who will be playing a key role come this fall.

Some of these backups will play as many snaps, perhaps even more, than some of the starters on the team, so there’s no real shame in coming off the sideline if you’re a member of this team. Every player plays a critical role, but these five guys are a handful that I think could be especially impactful in the 2015 season.

5. Montee Ball, RB

I know plenty of Broncos fans are sour on Montee Ball at this point in time, but I think a lot of that is unfair. I’m not going to make excuses for Ball. In fact, his second season with the Broncos was nothing short of a train wreck. The appendectomy in training camp caused him to get out of shape pretty quickly, and when he injured his groin, there was virtually no explosiveness whatsoever, even just taking the handoff from Peyton Manning.

That being said, in the zone scheme, we’re going to see an emergence from Ball that I think everyone should be excited about. He’s a perfect fit for the one-cut scheme, and a healthy Ball is going to be a perfect backup to C.J. Anderson and a guy I think the Broncos will be able to count on when they need someone to take a series or two as well as in the red zone and around the goal line.

To me, coming out of college, Ball was as good a back as his peers in the class, save for Eddie Lacy whom I had as the top ranked player at the position, so I have confidence that he’s going to be a really good player for the Broncos. Hopefully he’s put the injuries to the side and can now focus on developing on the field, where he has been known to be a touchdown machine.

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