The Denver Broncos are expected to sign former Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick. How will this affect the RB position?
The Denver Broncos are expected to sign veteran running back Theo Riddick later this week, according to Broncos insider and 9News’ Mike Klis.
The Broncos have been doing their due diligence in finding the right players to add, as well as giving them a fair shot at making the roster.
They have continued putting different guys in with the first and second-team offense and defense, even when they know those players will not be that high on the depth chart.
Riddick was a sixth-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft by the Lions and played 84 games for the team during that span. He gained 1,023 yards and five touchdowns on the ground during his time with the team.
His best season in terms of yards was in 2016 when he gained 357 yards rushing. In 2017 he recorded three touchdowns. Those numbers are really not spectacular. The Lions have had a terrible rushing attack for a number of years.
Where Riddick has made his mark is as a receiver.
Riddick has had a good career in the NFL in terms of being a pass catcher. In his 84 career games, Riddick has caught 285 passes for 2,238 yards and fourteen touchdown receptions.
Based on those numbers, it is obvious that Riddick is a third option at running back. The Broncos struggled on third downs last year. If Riddick makes the 53-man roster, he could be the answer for solving those woes.
It is also noteworthy that Riddick was coached by now-Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins from 2013-2015.
Another important thing to note is that Riddick has a total of two fumbles in his career.
With Riddick now in the mix, the Broncos have a plethora of talent at running back.
In San Francisco, under now-Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, 49ers running back Matt Breida caught 37 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
It will be interesting to see how Scangarello uses the Denver Broncos running backs this year. In 2018, Devontae Booker and Phillip Lindsay combined for 85 receptions and 516 yards. The Broncos also got fourteen receptions for 72 yards from Royce Freeman.
The Broncos’ move to sign Riddick happened slowly. News broke on Monday that he was visiting the team. Just a couple of hours later, more news broke: he was taking a physical for the Broncos. After that, it seemed like Riddick wanted to weigh his options, which were the Broncos and New Orleans Saints.
The Saints signed veteran Rob Kelley after visiting also with Alfred Morris.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Broncos look like they are trying hard to figure out a winning formula after back-to-back playoff-less seasons.