Peyton Manning‘s replacement is Anderson, Booker and Hillman
If we stop thinking about this as a “quarterback” problem and start thinking about it as an “offense” problem, things begin to look a whole lot more appealing.
No matter how they got there — and they probably spent too much money/assets — the Broncos now look to have one of the most interesting, if not best, running back corps in the NFL, especially if the offensive line can take a big leap forward this year.
C.J. Anderson was great last year, averaging over 6 yards per carry (most in the league) after Denver’s bye, and he single-handedly won several games for the Broncos with game-changing runs. Throw in Devontae Booker, who was a steal in the fourth round, and you’ve got another three-down back who can make plays in every stage of the game. And that’s without even mentioning Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson or Kapri Bibbs. None of those guys may be Pro Bowlers, but as your third and fourth options, they’re pretty darn good.
It’s clear that Elway is crafting a team that is going to pound the ball and take as much pressure off the quarterback as possible. He understands that he’s not going to create a top-10, even top-15, quarterback out of thin air; if he’s going to improve this offense, it’s going to be by developing one of the best rushing attacks in the league.
With the revamped offensive line up front, it’s not unreasonable to hope Denver can verge on a top-10 rushing offense. From there, you rely on your defense to do what they do and your quarterback to limit mistakes.
