Make no mistake, Denver Broncos back Phillip Lindsay took the world by storm as a runner, but now he gets to show his receiver prowess.
Once you enter the league as an undrafted free agent in the NFL with a plethora of talent, there’s a decent chance a chip on the shoulder will remain. For Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay that will stay with him for the rest of his career.
It adds fuel to the fire that is Lindsay’s confidence. Coupled with that mentality and talent he showed as a back, it is now time for him to display to the NFL world what he is also great at.
When Lindsay was with the Colorado Buffaloes, he showed a tremendous package as a receiver and in between the tackles. Potentially the reason the teams passed on Lindsay is they felt he was a one-trick pony.
That was simply lazy analysis as all 32 teams found out. During the 2018 season provided strength to pound the rock inside on numerous occasions and fighting for the extra yards. Where he didn’t show enough is in the passing game. Lindsay was asked about his catching in the aerial attack this week.
Phillip Lindsay: “I can catch just as well as I can run. I can run routes just as well as I can cut upfield.”
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) July 22, 2019
The thing added here is route running. People simply think of the Denver Broncos back as a running back. However, if a player is a Swiss Army knife of backs, that’s a tremendous tool in the tool kit. This allows Rich Scangarello to be creative with Lindsay spreading him outside like a wide receiver.
That was something we did not see at all last season. If Lindsay is spread out wide, then there’s a stronger chance Royce Freeman will see the field at the same time. This tells you not only do the Broncos believe in both Freeman and Lindsay but what they can do to together.
As for the talents of Lindsay in the passing game, Scangarello said it best.
"”That’s the exciting part. One of the great things about coming to Denver that really excited me from the day I walked in the door is that there are a very few players in the league like Phillip that have the ability to win in a one-on-one matchup at any time. I think that easiest matchup to create in the NFL is the halfback on a linebacker. That’s what we try to do in this offense a lot, and I think he has that gift and that ability and those traits. Excited to try to do that and try to force defenses to put a DB on him to open up other players,” Scangarello said. [via Denver Broncos PR]"
There’s been plenty of optimism oozing from Dove Valley recently and if it bears fruit sky’s the limit. Lindsay’s talents being used appropriately is a huge step in the right direction for the offense.