Brick, Mortar, Scrap Part 2: The RBs
By Aric Manthey
Player: Juwan Thompson
2016 Status: Mortar
Explanation: The swiss army knife of the Broncos RB group, Thompson found himself in a bit of sophomore slump for the Broncos in 2015. After a rookie season in which Thompson provided the occasional thump and ground out the tough yards in the trenches, Thompson was seldom seen on the field and battled different injuries from preseason play that hampered Thompson’s 2015 season.
There are plenty of things working in Thompson’s favor, though. The 23 year old RB has the right combination of size, strength, age and skill set to be a big contributor for the Broncos offense in the
years to come. One popular theory many Broncos fans had heading into the season is that Thompson should be moved to Fullback. The reasoning made a lot of sense.
Juwan Thompson at FB with a heck of a block on Perryman to spring Anderson #Broncos pic.twitter.com/QCTcwgwSXL
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 9, 2015
Clearly, he’s a guy that can not only block but get to the 2nd level and make the blocks necessary to open up running lanes in this offense. Regardless of the reasoning for his slump in 2015, I have a feeling that he’s a candidate to bounce back in 2016. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to see more of this…
I don’t know if he’ll ever become the main back for the Broncos, but I have a hard time believing that he won’t have a big role in the Broncos offense next year. Whether it’s as a fullback, running back, half back, or all three together, Juwan Thompson has the necessary skill set to not only contribute, but thrive in this offense.
I look forward to Thompson having a bounce back season in 2016 and helping provide the necessary amount of “thunder” from the Broncos backfield.