Denver Broncos: What would another 1,000-yard season mean for Phillip Lindsay?
Phillip Lindsay is on an unprecedented pace for a player who was undrafted.
The Denver Broncos made the decision to sign Phillip Lindsay following the conclusion of the 2018 draft. He didn’t get much of a look from other teams and even local fans didn’t feel like he had much chance of making an impact.
Most everyone was completely wrong.
Lindsay has not just done well with his opportunity in Denver, he has flat out excelled. After pushing past the 1,000-yard barrier last season, he became the first undrafted running back in NFL history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
This came after he became the first undrafted rookie in NFL history to be named to the Pro Bowl.
What would a third 1,000-yard season mean for Lindsay? Obviously, he would be the only undrafted player to ever do that, but within the history of the Broncos, he would sit atop a certain list.
Already sitting at No. 13 on the team’s all-time rushing list, Lindsay is exactly 1,003 rushing yards behind the career total of 3,051 posted by former running back C.J. Anderson.
What is significant about that? Anderson sits at No. 9 on the team’s all-time rushing list, but he has the most rushing yards in team history for a player that went undrafted.
Anderson joined the team in 2013 as an undrafted free agent and had a solid run, helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. But it took him five seasons to reach that yardage total, a mark that Lindsay could surpass with another great year.
Lindsay has ran for 1,037 yards and 1,011 yards in each of his first two seasons, respectively. Many expect that number to go down this season with Melvin Gordon coming in as a free agent, so Anderson’s mark could be safe for another year.
Will Lindsay rush for over 1,000 yards again?
It would be incredible to see Lindsay reach this mark for a third straight year, but it will be tough while sharing carries with the dynamic Gordon. Still, it is possible and as long as the team hangs onto Lindsay, he should easily surpass Anderson at some point and climb all the way up into the top five on the team’s all-time rushing list.
But one thing another 1,000-yard season could mean for Lindsay would be a lot more money.