Denver Broncos: Royce Freeman may have one more chance to shine

With Phillip Lindsay possibly shelved with an injury, Royce Freeman should see his role increase.

Once seen as the future of the Denver Broncos backfield, the former third-round pick Royce Freeman will be the primary backup to Melvin Gordon for as long as Phillip Lindsay is sidelined. If the Broncos need more depth at the position on game days, they could call up Levante Bellamy from the practice squad.

Since the team acquired Gordon in free agency, Freeman has become all but an afterthought. If you don’t believe that, just look at the draft results in your fantasy league, even if you play in a really deep league.

Looking at Freeman’s statistics, his rookie year in 2018 and his 2019 season are mirror images of one another. But his numbers figured to take a big dip this year as he sat behind Gordon and Lindsay.

Though his numbers have been decent, Freeman has fallen out of favor with the team that drafted him as he has just not lived up to being a third-round pick. He was at best sharing the job with a player who went undrafted in Lindsay.

But now that Lindsay is down with a case of turf toe and the timetable for return is unclear, Freeman should get a chance to spell Gordon in relief. He will need to make the most of each touch of the ball.

Lindsay isn’t expected to miss much time and he will be back to claim his spot. For Freeman, he could also view this as a chance to audition for other teams as he is a prime target for being traded to a team in need of a young running back.

If Lindsay is unable to suit up in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Freeman should see at least a handful of carries in the game.