2021 Broncos' Season, Off-Season Questions, Phillip Lindsay

 


For the Broncos, the off-season is here. George Paton was hired to serve as GM and Vic Fangio is staying as coach, but there are plenty of other questions to answer. As we head into the off-season, I'll be considering these topics each week.

The next off-season topic is one close to my heart, Phillip Lindsay. Since coming to the Broncos as an undrafted free agent, Lindsay has been one of my favorite players. As a rookie, he rushed for 1,037 yards and nine TDs, making the Pro Bowl. He followed it up with 1,011 yards in 2019, but in his third season, an injury-marred campaign, he was limited to appearing in just 11 games and running for 502 yards. 

Now, Lindsay is a restricted Free Agent, presenting one of the big questions Paton will have to tackle. Aside from Lindsay, the Broncos have veteran Melvin Gordon, fourth-year player Royce Freeman and a handful of other backs on the roster. Gordon, who could be facing potential discipline over missed games, will be entering his second year with the Broncos. In 2020, Gordon led the team with 986 yards and nine TDs. He also carries a bloated contract. The Broncos will likely want to use more than one back, and even in his limited work Lindsay often provided a spark.

This is a big decision for Paton, who'd be foolish not to tender Lindsay to ensure at least a return if he goes elsewhere, or dissuade teams from betting big. John Elway faced a similar decision with C.J. Anderson a few years ago and gambled, ending up forced to match a big contract offer from the Miami Dolphins.

Lindsay is a popular player among the Broncos, much more popular than Gordon or Freeman, with whom he entered the league. While Denver could use Freeman as the second back to Gordon, or go the route of the draft, Lindsay is a good player, home grown, who has played three seasons at a discount. The Broncos would be wise to lock him up long-term and keep him as a part of the young core. But there's always the question of money.

Those that argue Lindsay isn't built to handle the rigors of an NFL workload will point to his third year. However, we've seen him produce well for Denver, rushing for more than 2,500 yards and adding 17 TDs for the Broncos. 

I'm not exactly impartial, as I love Lindsay as a player, but I hope Paton does the right thing, tenders Lindsay at a decent level and comes up with a three to four year deal that keeps him in Denver.

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