Is Phillip Lindsay’s longevity in doubt from national media?
Phillip Lindsay was one of the most explosive and impressive players in the NFL last season. Does the national media doubt his longevity?
It’s the offseason, and not only is it the offseason, it’s the month of June, which means we can expect a healthy diet of lists we don’t agree with across the web.
One particular list that came out recently was Pete Prisco’s (CBS Sports) list of the top 100 players in the NFL. This list recognized Von Miller as the fourth-best player in the NFL, Chris Harris Jr. as the third-best corner in the NFL, and Bradley Chubb as a top 100 player.
Among the players on this list, Prisco had eight running backs including rookie sensation Saquon Barkley 11th overall on the list.
Although I take no issue (really) with the running backs he did list, it was a bit off-putting not to see Phillip Lindsay on the list (h/t to the guys at Mile High Huddle for calling this out).
Our friends at MHH already told you about the fact that Lindsay’s not on this list, but I want to look into some reasons why he may not be on it. Prisco does not speak for all national media, and he may very well be one of just a few people who would not consider Lindsay a top eight running back in the NFL at this point, or a top 100 player in general.
I wonder if Prisco and others who share this line of thinking — subconsciously or otherwise — doubt the longevity of Lindsay’s game in the NFL.
Lindsay is listed by the Broncos at 5-foot-8, 190 pounds. He wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine in 2018. He wasn’t drafted, either.
Yet he quickly made his way to the top of the Broncos’ depth chart, eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in his rookie season, and was selected to the Pro Bowl, the first non-kicker undrafted rookie to accomplish that.
Unfortunately, Lindsay suffered a wrist injury at the end of the season. Right or wrong, that injury plays into the narrative that small backs can’t stay healthy in the NFL.
While Saquon Barkley took on one of the biggest workloads we’ve seen a rookie running back take on, Lindsay’s touches were limited and yet he put up competitive numbers with some of the best backs in the NFL.
If Lindsay’s 2018 season numbers were extrapolated to Barkley’s number of touches, they would be nearly identical.
So, if Lindsay was just as effective on a per touch basis as a guy like Barkley, why would he not considered one of the top 100 players in the league?
Again I come back to the fact that I think there are those who doubt his longevity due to his size.
But Lindsay’s size has not proven itself to be a detriment. Ask 49ers safety Marcell Harris.
It isn’t like Lindsay was constantly having to come out of games because he was taking a beating out there. His vision, ability to cut and change directions at full speed, and open-field elusiveness made him hard to track down in the first place, but even when Lindsay did get hit, it didn’t ever seem to phase him.
Lindsay’s wrist injury seemed more like a freak accident than an issue of durability or toughness or longevity or whatever you want to call it.
I can’t help but think there are those in the national media who are doubting Lindsay because of the injury, and not because they don’t think he can come back from it, but because it subconsciously validated the concerns about a small back taking on a full-time load in the NFL.
Next. Broncos roster overview: RBs. dark
Hopefully when Lindsay comes back this season, he proves his stellar rookie year was no fluke.