Denver Broncos: Breakout Players For 2015

Sep 29, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back

Ronnie Hillman

(21) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker

(54) during the first half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

RB Ronnie Hillman

Media sources across the league are saying that the starting running back job is C.J. Anderson‘s to lose, and ESPN’s Jeff Legwold has reported that these rumors have been backed up by Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak. Last season’s Week One starter Montee Ball believes that he can win his old starting job back, according to Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. Undrafted player Juwan Thompson is looking to continue to prove himself after being second on the team in rushing touchdowns last season.

So naturally the Broncos running back I expect to really break out this season is Ronnie Hillman.

Last season, Hillman looked as though he was on the verge of snagging the long-term No. 1 running back spot before suffering a foot injury in week 10 against the Oakland Raiders. He was unable to play again until week 17, and this cost him his chance at becoming the starter.

In the eight games he was able to play, Hillman ran for 434 yards and four touchdowns, while catching 21 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. No these aren’t spectacular numbers, but they’re indicative of Hillman’s ability to make some plays.

The fact that Anderson and Ball are likely currently ahead of Hillman in the running back rotation only increases my thinking that he will have a great year. Hillman, right at 200lbs, is considerably lighter than either Anderson or Ball, and considerably faster. Hillman ran a 4.45 40 at his NFL Draft Combine, as opposed to Anderson’s 4.60 and Ball’s 4.66.

In addition to this straight-line speed, Hillman has an excellent accelerator. In 2014 only 2.8% of Hillman’s carries went for less than -1 yards, indicating that he has an ability to get off the ball and get to the line of scrimmage. 7.3% Ball’s carries, and 4.5% of Anderson’s carries were for less than -1 yards. Of these three backs, Hillman is clearly the quickest out of the gate and into his hole.

That being said, I do not anticipate Hillman ending up as the starting running back for the Denver Broncos, unless one or both of the other two suffer injury. Instead, I look to him to perform a Darren Sproles-esque role for the team.

Sproles, who’s pre-draft 40 time was just .01 seconds slower than Hillman’s, also shares other similarities. Both are smaller backs (although Sproles is about 15lbs lighter than Hillman), and both have an ability to catch the football out of the backfield. Hillman didn’t have many huge plays or massive gains on passes last season, but he ran crisp routes, and was reliable when it came to catching balls thrown his way.

I picture Hillman as primarily a change-of-pace back, lining up all over the backfield and occasionally as a receiver, and always playing fresh because he will not be on the field very often. 12% of Hillman’s touches last season went for over 10 yards, and I expect that number to increase in 2015. Montee Ball is already expecting that he and C.J. Anderson will be the one-two punch on the ground, in a grind-it-out fashion:

"“I’m really looking forward to splitting carries with him,” said Ball (via Allie Raymond of DenverBroncos.com) “I think we’re two really good backs in a system that we love to keep the ball on the ground. So we love this system. As a running back you have to thrive in this system because its what we love. It’s smash-mouth football.”"

This plays perfectly into Hillman’s lap, as the other two backs will wear down defenders up front and allow him to pick up the big yardage in space. I don’t know that Hillman will be the team’s leading rusher, but I expect him to be the most important running back on the team.

His speed, quickness, and versatility give him a skill set that none of the other backs on the team have, and one that will be vital to Denver’s success. Few backs in the league can match Hillman’s ability to get into space quickly and do damage to an opposing defense. He should have the best season of his career in 2015, and become an invaluable piece to the puzzle that is the Broncos backfield.

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