Denver Broncos: Which players should come off IR when healthy?

Theo Riddick, RB

When push comes to shove, we’ll see how loud money talks.

Theo Riddick is not only the highest-paid player (cap hit nearly $2.47 million) eligible to come off IR (only Bradley Chubb, who is not returning in 2019, has a higher cap hit), he’s also a player whose role seemed the most intentional to begin with.

What do I mean by that?

Most people I’ve interacted with on Twitter respond to my thought that Riddick should be brought back by saying there’s no need for him with Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman’s current roles in the offense.

My rebuttal to that — what was the point of bringing Riddick on board in the first place, then?

The Broncos clearly had envisioned a role for Riddick in this offense with his ability to split out and catch passes. We have not seen them utilize Devontae Booker at all in the offense so far, so I can understand why many fans feel like Riddick’s presence would be pointless.

But Riddick is a much more dynamic open-field playmaker than Booker. He’s been one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL for the past five or six years and the Broncos didn’t just sign him to leave him on IR all season.

If Riddick is healthy, and we will find out on Monday if that’s the case, there is no good reason for the Broncos to leave him on IR and eliminate the option of another weapon coming aboard for an offense that seriously needs them.