Broncos' OC Pat Shurmur Reveals Whether Phillip Lindsay Meets his RB Requirements

Will Phillip Lindsay have a featured role in Pat Shurmur's offense?

When last we heard from Phillip Lindsay, he was heading into the offseason with two mandates; one, undergo wrist surgery and two, work on becoming a better receiver out of the backfield.

Lindsay's prowess as a runner between and outside the tackles is already established. At 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, he's the only undrafted running back in NFL history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of his first two years. 

Lindsay also has the distinction of being a Pro Bowler in 2018 and one of just two offensive players on the Broncos' roster to have made it to an NFL all-star game (Courtland Sutton). Lindsay is a talent, no doubt, but the one weakness of his game is his receiving acumen. 

That could be a problem with new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur arriving in Denver. Shurmur's offense puts a premium on the three-down running back. He has to be able to stay in to block, run routes and have sure, soft hands as a receiver. 

There have been questions as to whether Lindsay can check all those boxes. In his introductory press conference at Dove Valley on Thursday, Shurmur addressed the issue head-on whether Lindsay can be a plug-and-play solution at running back in his offense.

“I think it is important for a runner to be able to catch," Shurmur said on Thursday. "There are three elements to playing running back. Number one, when you hand it to them, they have to have good vision, balance, body control, collision balance and they have to be able to run with the ball and score. You certainly need to be able to pass protect to protect the quarterback. If you can’t catch the ball out of the backfield or you can’t have an impact in some way—and it doesn’t mean down the field, but maybe it’s a checkdown or something thing in the flat—then it’s hard to be a full runner."

But does Shurmur believe Lindsay can do it? 

"I feel like he can do those things," Shurmur said. "As I get to work with him and I get to talk with the offensive coaches more we’ll find out what he can do and try to feature that.”

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Saquon Barkley's usage in Shurmur's scheme over the past two seasons in New York produced prolific receiving numbers. Barkley hauled in a whopping 91 receptions as a rookie and a 52 this past season. Meanwhile, Lindsay has 70 total receptions over that same period, showing that while it might not yet be his forte, he has a baseline ability to produce. 

Shurmur won't exactly be starting from square one with Lindsay as a receiver. But at the same time, there's no doubt it's the one area Lindsay has yet to master. 

Lindsay will soon be on the offseason warpath to becoming a better receiver. On his way out of the locker room on December 30, he talked about maybe getting together with Christian McCaffrey and/or Theo Riddick to get some insider tips on developing that aspect of his game. 

Only time will tell but it's got to be good for Lindsay to hear that vote of confidence from his new OC. The way Lindsay attacks each and every obstacle and challenge in his football life, fans shouldn't worry too much about him learning to master this last element of being a true three-down running back.  

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.