After the Denver Broncos’ trade for New England running back Laurence Maroney, there should be only one question on the mind of any fan of the Broncos:
Why?
As in, why in the world would the Broncos trade a fourth-round pick for an underachieving running back who had fallen behind two 30-plus veterans (Kevin Faulk and Fred Taylor) and a third-year guy who entered the league as an undrafted free agent (BenJarvus Green-Ellis)?
Knowshon Moreno is healthy and ran well against the Jaguars with 15 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, and Correll Buckhalter, even though he didn’t look good in the season opener, has proven to be a very good backup.
From where I’m sitting, that makes Maroney the third running back.
Had they signed Maroney in free agency, that would be fine. But they didn’t. They traded a fourth-round pick for him so he can see a few carries per game and maybe return kicks. They did get a sixth-round pick from the Patriots in the deal, but that still doesn’t justify trading away a fourth-round pick for a guy who will be buried on the depth chart.
The only thing I can think is that head coach Josh McDaniels doesn’t see Buckhalter as the backup. I’m not sure why he would be so discouraged with him, but that’s the only reasonable explanation other than an injury to Moreno or Buckhalter that has yet to be disclosed.
Perhaps a logical explanation will show itself soon, but right now this looks like another ill-advised move out of Denver.