The Denver Broncos ran a pass-happy offense in 2013. Quarterback Peyton Manning played off a pick-your-poison style with a variety of productive wide receivers to work with. However, while he tossed for over 5,477 yards over the span of the season, the run game still found a way to shine. With Knowshon Moreno departing after a career-high season, backup Montee Ball is tasked to replace him, something Manning is confident the second-year pro can do with ease.
Moreno put up big numbers despite the pass-first offense of Denver. The running back put up 1,038 yards while averaging 64.9 per game. That is a pretty solid effort considering how much Manning threw the ball over the course of the year. It may not have appeared as such, but the Broncos actually relied heavily on the ground game and with Moreno gone, Ball must now step up to the plate in his second year in the NFL.
Ball was already seeing himself as a starter before Moreno officially exited the team.
"Of course, obviously I have no idea what's going to happen with him and this organization, but I do want to be a starter, and yeah, I want the football every time," Ball said, via the Denver Post. "I think I'm going to have a great offseason, and I'm going to have a better season next year for sure."
Ball was strong in his rookie season despite not being the featured back. He rushed for 559 yards off 120 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He struggled with some turnover issues, but overall he showed a lot of potential. With Denver content with going younger in the ground game and giving Ball a chance to step up, Manning is giving the running back an endorsement for the future. The quarterback told the Denver Post that is fully confident that Ball is ready to be a starter in 2014 without any issues.
Ball must be ready because Ronnie Hillman does not inspire much confidence in the Denver fanbase. Hillman is not ready to be a starter for the Broncos so far, which leaves Denver with very few options as far as depth go. Denver could stay with their plan to remain young at the position or they could try and make a run for at least one veteran free agent to put some experience in the rotation.
If the Broncos want guaranteed production, they could make a run at Chris Johnson. The running back is in talks with the New York Jets but after 24 hours, they have not resulted in anything, leaving many to believe the veteran's contract demands are too high. Denver will not overspend for Johnson. Felix Jones could be a solid option. The running back is a free agent after a lackluster year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He could come cheap for Denver and be a solid reliever for Ball.