Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Report: Broncos Could Pursue 'Starter Type' RB in Free Agency
Coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, Denver Broncos news and rumors are flying. On Sunday, we heard that the Broncos are interested in Houston's free-agent NT D.J. Reader.
On Monday, the rumor mill cranked out a Broncos nugget on the other side of the ball. Per 9NEWS' Mike Klis, the Broncos are expected to "kick the tires" on the 2020 free-agent running back class.
Our belief is that the Broncos like them some Phillip Lindsay. GM John Elway himself said during his end-of-season presser that he's even open to offering Lindsay a contract extension early.
But if there's any veracity to Klis' rumor, it has implications on Lindsay, and it's a straight-up indictment on Royce Freeman, who was a 2018 third-round draft pick. It's understandable that Denver might want to complement Lindsay with a competent ball-carrier.
However, any of the four soon-to-be free-agent backs Klis lists would come with a serious price tag. It's extremely ill-advised to spend money on a running back, especially one who didn't come up through your own ranks.
It makes a ton of sense for Denver to mine the draft for a running back option to team up with Lindsay. To go spend free-agent dollars on it, though, implies a much bigger concern in the team's eyes.
Maybe the Broncos are worried Lindsay can't carry the load in new OC Pat Shurmur's system. That's me just spit-balling, not anything I've been told.
Shurmur had Saquon Barkley in New York the past two season, and in fact, drafted him No. 2 overall. Barkley has about three inches in height and about 43 pounds in weight on Lindsay.
If the Broncos are going to spend on an RB, then it would be best to invest those dollars on the most proven player available. Derrick Henry is likely to be tagged by Tennesee, but ex-Chargers' RB Melvin Gordon stands head and shoulders above both Kenyon Drake and Jordan Howard in terms of proven, sustained success. Drake would bring value a pass-catcher, though it'd have to be at the right price.
I don't like the idea of spending on a RB, as you can tell. But if the Broncos are looking to hedge around Drew Lock by giving him the most potent running game possible, perhaps filling the pending O-line holes should take more precedence.
NFL free agency opens on March 18, with the legal tampering period opening two days prior. Mile High Huddle has covered a handful of free-agent RBs the Broncos could target, but they weren't the cream of the class, or necessarily 'starter types', but rather, more of the complementary variety. Check out the video above for five under-the-radar options.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
