1. Ronnie Hillman
Just like the free agent quarterback preview, the guy at the top of this list is a familiar face, and why wouldn’t it be? Wouldn’t you rather ride with the horse you know than the one you don’t?
And the truth is that Ronnie Hillman has been good for the Broncos. I don’t think he’s a No. 1 back, but as a the dash to C.J. Anderson’s bash, it works. Really, when you look at the numbers from last season, they’re fairly impressive, especially when you consider how poor Denver’s offense looked at times:
4.2 yards per carry; 863 yards rushing; 7 touchdowns (all career highs)
My only issue with Ronnie, isn’t so much an issue with him but with the coaching staff. He needs to be the No. 2 back. He needs to complement Anderson’s bruising style. When Hillman’s getting the majority of the carries, which he did for most of the season, he loses his effectiveness; defenders quickly understand that he’s going to bounce every run to the outside.
But if Anderson pounds them up the middle first, then maybe Hillman’s speed around the edge becomes all the more effective.
With all that said, my guess is that the Broncos don’t sign anybody in free agency other than Anderson, giving Juwan Thompson and Kapri Bibbs the opportunity to fight it out in training camp for the No. 2 role, along with whatever back they draft in the late rounds.
Either way, this should be Anderson’s team next year.
